


I Was The Sun But He Served the Moon//He May Serve The Moon But I Am His Queen

by spaceboyharry



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha Luke, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Beta Liam Payne, Beta Niall Horan, Beta Zayn Malik, Blind Luke Hemmings, Disabled Character, F/M, First Kiss, First Time Blow Jobs, Harry Has a Daddy Kink, Human Louis, Larry Stylinson Is Real, M/M, Mating, Omega Louis, Other, Pack Dynamics, Porn With Plot, Praise Kink, Scenting, Secrets, Sexual Tension, Slightly - Freeform, Strangers to Lovers, Supernatural Elements, Were-Creatures, more of an alpha kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 13:13:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 57
Words: 92,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19377418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceboyharry/pseuds/spaceboyharry
Summary: Louis Tomlinson moves to a new town, only to find wolves in his backyard, strange boys with a thousand secrets, and he finds out that the world is not how it seems. God help the boy who falls in love with the Alpha with the haunting green eyes.





	1. Greetings, Earthlings

Look who's back, with the third and final edition of "When will Louise finally be happy with her book?" Third times the charm folks. Never again will I delete this or change it up. I'm finally happy with this and I hope you'll be happy with it as well. Please read it and let me know what you think. Feel free to comment with any questions or to just say hello. I'm always here. Hello to those who've stuck around and those who are just joining the club. Buckle up, it's a wild ride. 


	2. Not Your Everyday Walk in The Park, Er, Woods

This wasn’t how I had envisioned spending my first weekend at my new home. Walking through the woods with no clue of what was within the grasp of the overgrown trees was admittedly not my best decision. 

 To my left, something, or someone, broke a stick and I could see a shadow flash by, almost too fast for me to see. 

“Who’s there?” The shakiness of my voice betrayed my fear. 

Nothing answered me except for the rustling of the leaves in the trees and a bird calling out from nearby. I shrugged it off and blamed it on a squirrel or something. _North_ _Dakota has squirrels, right?_

From overhead, the bird’s call became a shriek, the flapping of its wings signaling its departure. Straight in front of me, a shadow passed, and that was most definitely not a squirrel. Spooked, I backed up until I was sure that I was far enough away from the menacing shadow. 

Making the call to just sprint back home, I whipped around to leave, only to be met by a set of dazzling green eyes which were connected to a huge, pitch-black wolf. The fur on his face was silken, stray strands waving in the slight breeze. You know you’re too close to a wolf when you can admire the aesthetics of its fur. 

I drew in a shaky breath and screamed, taking off in the opposite direction; the direction of home, hopefully. The last thing I saw of the wolf was his ears pinned back, head jerking slightly. From behind my retreating figure, he made what can only be described as a “boof,” probably the last sound I’ll ever hear. 

Great. 

The last thought running through my head when this thing uses me as a toothpick will be “you did me a real big frighten.” Thanks, internet. 

_ Stay focused, Louis, that thing is probably chasing you and debating whether you’d taste better with teriyaki or barbecue sauce. _

 I just had to go and step in a hole in my haste, sending me sprawling. As soon as I made contact with the dirt, I flipped over and scrambled backward until my back hit the solid bark of a tree, my eyes never leaving the gaping maw of the advancing beast. 

He drooled, right ear twitching as each monstrous paw made its way over to me step by torturous step. My breathing became shallow, eyes squeezing shut as hot tears threatened to escape, arms wrapped around my shaking body. This is how I was gonna go, alone and scared in the woods, eaten alive by frickin Moon-Moon. 

But the end never came. I slowly cracked opened my eyes, wiping the tears away. The wolf was still there, but he was merely sitting and staring at me, his presence no less ominous. A weak “please” was all that I could muster, my entire body shaking in pure fear. The beast huffed and rose to his full height, making me flinch and sob a little, drawing my knees closer to myself.

He walked forwards slowly, tail swinging slowly behind him and nose twitching. I felt the tears prick back up, my ragged breathing almost at the point of hyperventilation. Abruptly, he stopped and raised his head, ears twitching, along with his nose. He gave me one last fleeting look and whined lowly in his throat, and then he was gone.

 My breathing slowed and my limbs unfurled, eyes darting around looking for him. Whenever he didn’t immediately return to finish me off, I stood up slowly, senses on high alert for any irregularities in my surroundings. Hastily, I began jogging back in the direction of my home, jumping at every little noise. 

After almost ten minutes of nearly sprinting and guessing at every turn, I was back to the final line of trees that bordered my backyard. Just before I stepped onto the back porch, a single howl pierced through the night air, several others following in succession. With that, I slammed the door shut behind me, slumping against it in relief of being safe again.

“How was your adventure, dear?” My mom asked, cutting up lettuce in the kitchen, her brown hair piled in a bun on the top of her head, something that looked like flour smudged across her nose. 

“I s-saw, I saw a wolf.” I breathed out, still trying to calm myself down from a near heart attack.

 Mom laughed, dumping the chopped lettuce into a bowl. “Of course you didn’t, sweetheart, there aren’t any wolves in this area. You probably just saw a big dog or something, nothing to be afraid of.”

 “Mom, I’m not lying, I saw it!” I whined, stomping my foot for effect. Being the baby meant that I could be a little dramatic if I wanted too.

 She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by my two simply lovely brothers storming down the stairs and into the kitchen, Ben with Jack in a headlock. Jack shoved him off and hit him in the arm, the two of them grinning once they were separated. 

“What’s wrong with princess over there?” Ben asked Mom, snatching a roll from the pan by the stove. Mom hit his hand lightly and smiled, “Nothing dear, Lou just thought he saw a wolf or something, but he’s probably just overthinking it.” 

“I know what I saw, Mom. It was a wolf!” I said adamantly, crossing my arms. 

“Lou, why don’t you go ahead and set the table, supper will be done in just a moment.” Mom said, raising her hand to Ben in a silent request to drop it.

I pushed myself off of the door and grumbled about how this was so unfair as I grabbed four napkins, cups, and sets of silverware from the drawer, placing them at the small table under the light in the corner of the room. Beside it, there were still boxes to be unpacked, black sharpie labeling them *FRAGILE* stamped on the side of a few. 

As I completed setting the table, Mom made her way over with a pot of what smelled to be roast, Jack and Ben behind her with the salad, rolls, and a pitcher of tea. We all sat at our respective seats, silent as we doled out the food and began to eat. The silence was broken by my mother, “Are you three ready for the first days of your new high school? I know it’ll be weird starting in the middle of a semester, but I’ll think you’ll be fine.”

 “Jack and I looked into it, and football tryouts are actually next week, so we’ll probably try out for that,” Ben said, gravy smeared on his lower lip. 

 “That’s lovely, and what about you Loubear, would you like to try football?” Mom asked, the ever-hopeful look on her face. Mom has always wanted me to do sports like my two big brothers. _Sorry_ _Mom, not going to happen._

“I haven’t really looked into it, maybe drama or AV club if they have it,” I responded, keeping my eyes on my plate as I pushed the food around with my fork. “That’s good.” Mom replied curtly, probably displeased with my blatant lack of enthusiasm towards the rather brutish sport. 2 out of three kids being neanderthals wasn’t too bad of a record  
  


I ate the final few forkfuls of food on my plate and pushed away from the table, gathering my dishes as I did so. “It was good Mom, I’m going to get ready for school tomorrow.” 

Mom made a noise of acknowledgment and went back to her animated discussion with the favorite sons about football equipment. Yes, they definitely need new water bottles, what about the new headphones I need, or the new wireless mouse? 

I dumped my dished unceremoniously into the sink with a grumble and stalked up the stairs, angrily running my hands through my hair.  Once I got to my room, I slammed the door shut for good measure, smiling whenever I heard a rebuke coming from my mother. 

I went over to the desk and opened my laptop, going to the internet browser. “Are there wolves in North Dakota?” A few thousand search results, but I just clicked on the top one, marked .gov, which sounds official. 

“Over the past few years, there has indeed been a couple of confirmed documented sighting, but other than that, the wolf population of North Dakota, USA, has been essentially eradicated.”

 OK, so the government is wrong. I know what I saw, and that thing wasn’t a large dog. I’ve watched animal planet enough that I can discern the difference between a German shepherd and a frickin wolf. Ok, back to the search engine. 

“Recent sightings of wolves in Lower North Dakota.” That should narrow down my search more. The first one to appear was titled “Oh My Dear God, That Wolf Was Huge.” That’s the type of results I’m looking for, panicked and formatted like a 2 am shit-post.

 Clicking on the link, it took me to some message thread for weird sightings, on some website called “Urban Myths.” The thread was started in November of 2014 by a user called Nialler. The thread was old, but it was the most valid I’d seen so far. 

It said, “ _So, I’m walking through the woods, smoking a joint y’ know, and this fucking gigantic wolf-looking thing came outta nowhere. It jumped onto me, knocking me over and then crouching over me, hitting the joint outta my hand, which pissed me off. All I could see were these big brown eyes, and I could tell that he had red-ish colored fur, but I wasn’t playing really close attention, I was just angry. That was some Grade-A shit that bitch ruined. So I did the obvious thing. I hit him, making him stumble off of me, and started chewing him out, I’m telling you, I was letting him have it. I stood up, still just ‘a yelling, he sat there with his ears pinned, head kinda ducked down. I know the thing was twice my size and probably didn’t understand a lick of what was coming out of my mouth, but he honestly seemed embarrassed. After a few minutes of fussing, I was done, and then I got scared as shit. So, I obviously started to apologize, because that’s just what a wolf wants to hear, a blubbery apology right before his midnight snack. While I was on my knees begging for forgiveness from a 2-ton Doberman, he had the audacity to huff and walk off, leaving me kneeling in the middle of the woods. I hate that asshole, even if he didn’t kill me outta the kindness of his own heart._ ” 

Two weeks later, there was an attachment added to the thread. “ _Nevermind_.” Was all that it said, from the same user. That was a hell of a story. Quite similar to mine, as well, except Cujo was black, in my case.

Hearing my brothers start to come up the stairs, I slammed my laptop shut and sprinted for the bathroom, slamming the door shut moments before they made it. “You snooze you lose, assholes!” I yelled, turning on the shower. One of them pounded their fist against the door and then I heard their voices recede, and I happily stripped down, taking my time and enjoying the rare hot water. 

Once I was done, I wrapped the towel around my waist and exited the bathroom, flipping off the fuming Ben, who was waiting by the door. I entered my room and slid on some boxers and a hoodie, pulling out a random pair of jeans, shirt, and a black jacket for school tomorrow. With one final glance at my laptop, I turned off the light and climbed into bed, curling up under the blankets. Just as I drifted off to sleep, I swear I heard a howl, almost telling me goodnight. 

 


	3. Verde.

My dreams that night were filled with a black wolf, his eyes the epitome of beauty.

“Rise and shine, Lucifer,” accompanied by a smattering of ice cold water across my face, was what woke me up. The douche who performed the unnecessary baptism was Jack, who promptly took a picture and ran off, snickering.

 “Bitch,” I muttered under my breath, throwing the now damp covers off and standing up, wiping the water from my eyes. With tired eyes and stumbling steps, I made my way to the mercifully empty bathroom and washed my face quickly, brushing my teeth and using the bathroom before returning to my room to get ready.

 I threw on the clothes hastily and slipped on a pair of Vans, running a hand through my essentially flat hair before clomping down the stairs where Ben and Jack were already eating all of the pancakes my mom had made as our customary “new school” meal. 

Mom was sitting at the bar, staring at her phone with a blank expression on her face. “Hey, Mom, what’s wrong?” I asked, snatching a blueberry pancake from an unsuspecting Jack’s plate. 

“Your father said to have a good day.” She replied flatly, throwing her phone onto the counter with a sigh and making her way over to the stove to take some fresh food from the hot pan. “Tell him Jack said up yours,” Jack said, haughtily taking a sip of orange juice if it is even possible for you to do that in an angry fashion. 

Mom gave a wry smile and put a plate of pancakes before me, sliding a cup of juice forwards a few moments later. I ate them quickly, knowing what would happen if my brothers finished and I still had some remaining.

Mom glanced to the clock on the wall and clapped, “OK, boys, time for you to leave. Have a good day, remember your manners, and don’t forget that it takes time to make friends, no one does it in a day, so be patient.” 

As we filed out of the house, each kissing her on the cheek and getting our bags from her, I swear to whatever God is out there that I saw the bushes along the tree-line shift, what looked like tan fur flashing by, like a tail whipping around. I pulled on Ben’s sleeve, making him grumble and turn around to look at me. “Did you see that, Ben?” “See what, Shortbus? Come on, we need to go, I don’t have time to play Steve Irwin with you.”

 I pouted, but followed along and climbed into the backseat of Ben and Jack’s shared Jeep. As soon as Jack cranked up, unintelligible rap music blared through the speakers, making me sigh and pull out my headphones. While the two up front sang loudly, if you can even call their whale noises singing, I settled for bobbing my head along to the music blaring through my earbuds, watching as the world passed by, eyes trained on the foliage for a wolf or two with a strange affinity for me.

The moment we pulled up to the school, Ben and Jack hopped out and ran into the school, leaving me to gather my stuff and walk in alone, already getting weird looks from people as my notebook fell tot he ground and everything thing else when I bent down to pick it up. Please, don’t everybody rush to help me at once. It sucks being the new kid. 

I followed a little sign that pointed me towards the office, lightly knocking on the door before letting myself in, nearly getting knocked flat by my exiting wildebeests, I mean brothers, in the process. 

“Have a bad day, Lucifer, don’t annoy too many people!” Jack yelled to me, Ben high-fiving him as they ran off. Y’know, having twin brothers really sucks at some times. Maybe with one of them, it would be, at best, bearable. 

“May I help you?” The lady behind the desk asked, looking over her glasses. She was young, probably in her 20’s, and she looked on the verge of having a mental breakdown already, probably due to my brothers. 

“Uh, yes, I’m Louis Tomlinson, I’m new.”

 “When you say Tomlinson, are you by chance related to the two that just came in here?” 

“Sadly. What did they do?” 

“Well, while one tried to get my phone number, the other stole all of the candy from the jar on the desk and then they punched one another and laughed.” Her voice said humor but her eyes cried for help.

“That sounds about right.” 

She sighed and typed something into the computer, a piece of paper printing out a moment later, my name printed across the top. We had already come and toured the school and talked with some teachers and stuff, but I still hadn’t gotten my schedule. 

“Thank you,” I said as she handed me my paper, a smile and a curt nod her only response. I looked to where my locker number was, 182, and set off to find that, and then my first class, which was Chemistry.

I finally found my locker and opened it, dumping some of my extra binders in and a few notebooks. When I shut it and turned around, I made eye contact with some people across the hall, the crowd of people passing between separating us. 

Three boys stood there looking over to me, all with unreadable expressions as they looked at me. The one in the front had a gravity-defying mass of curly brown hair, hair that would look comical on anyone else, but somehow he pulled it off. His outfit and stance screamed “don’t fuck with me,” and the two boys on either side of him had a “don’t fuck with him,” vibe. Like a single being, the first nodded and turned to walk away, the two behind following and not missing a step. As they turned the corner to walk away, the first looked back to me. 

He had the most gorgeous green eyes.

I shook off the unsettling encounter and looked to the signs hanging at the end of the hallway, and then followed the arrow that was pointing towards the science wing of the building. Silently I ghosted down the hallway, trying to make myself as unnoticeable as possible. Didn’t work, never does. 

“Well, who do we have here?” somebody crowed. I turned around shiftily to see one of the most nice-looking, kind-eyed, completely terrifying individuals I ever had the displeasure to meet with. He had a scruffed face framed by unruly fire-engine red hair, and his watery green eyes gleamed in the fluorescent lighting. He was a hulking person, clad in all black. With a grin like that of a demented Cheshire cat, he stalked towards me slowly, another boy behind him appearing indifferent to the situation, simply tapping away on his phone and drinking a Red Bull.

I backed up, subconsciously ducking my head. “Louis, I’m Louis.” I stuttered out, biting my tongue afterward at the pitiful display. I’m definitely getting beaten up now.

“Well, Louis, what are you doing here?” He asked, getting me back against a locker and barring me in with his arms. I cringed, “I’m new, the first day.” 

He laughed and grabbed my bookbag strap, practically picking me up off of the ground. I closed my eyes and waited for the punch that was surely about to come. 

From near us, someone whistled a little tune, and immediately I had both feet back on the ground and his restricting arms was gone from either side of my head. “Michael, I must ask you to refrain from eating the child, you’ll ruin your lunch.” Someone unseen chided. 

Instantly, Michael dropped his attention from pummeling me and rushed towards the voice, extending an arm to a boy that had stepped forth from the small group of people that had encompassed our altercation, guided by a red cane. 

He was probably half of Michael’s hulking size, tall but with sloping shoulders and fair skin and he walked with fluidity like that of water. His blue eyes rivaled mine in clarity, though they did not see, and his hair feathered out into the softest looking fringe I had ever seen. He was long and lean, but still somehow delicate. 

With a few graceful steps, he bypassed Michael and walked up to me, making me flinch again. Even though the boy was quite slender, he carried himself as though he was the largest person in the room, an air of power surrounding him.

 Unexpected was the delicate hand that dusted off my shoulders and fixed my hair. I looked up at him, and he smiled back wryly, eyes not quite looking directly into mine, then he turned around. 

“Calum, are you incapable of dealing with Michael? I leave you two alone for ten minutes to use the restroom and he’s already almost started a fight, all while you just sit there playing Flappy Duck or whatever on that godforsaken screen.” He chided, cocking his hip.

 The boy that had just stood idly by wrung his hands together and looked away guiltily, muttering an “I’m sorry Luke,” making the pretty boy sigh and run a hand through his hair. “What’s done is done. Michael, find Ashton and ask him to meet with me before the first period. Speaking of,” he turned back to me, nudging my shoe with his cane, “you should be getting there, don’t you think?” 

The tone of voice in which he said that revealed that it wasn’t a suggestion, but an order. I nodded and scurried off, keeping my head down to avoid any more altercations. This school is so weird, and I haven’t even been here for 15 minutes. 

The tardy bell rang just as I reached the Chemistry room door, and I pulled it open and slipped inside, hoping to go undetected. Again, it didn’t work. 

“Ah, you must be the new student, come on up here.” The teacher said, enthusiastically gesturing for me to come to the front by her. I smiled curtly and walked towards her, actively trying to curl into a ball as I stood up there, the eyes of my peers staring me down, judging me. 

“Why don’t you introduce yourself to us, young man?” She prompted. I drew in a deep breath, hating to speak in front of large numbers of people.

“Hi. I’m Louis Tomlinson.”  A few people snickered, and I just wanted to die. My hands were gripping my backpack strap so tightly, my knuckles were turning white. “And what about your age and where you’re from?” She egged on, smiling almost manically. “I’m sixteen, and I’m from Maine.” 

The teacher clapped her hands, “Now, Louis, to find you a place to sit. Any volunteers?” As expected, a hush fell over the crowd. Nobody wants to sit by the fetus. 

The teacher sighed, “Well, if no one volunteers, then I’ll have to-“I’ll take him.” 

From the back of the room, someone spoke up, and the majority of the class whipped around to look at the speaker, while the rest ogled at me. “Oh, thank you, Harry. Louis, make your way over to the back right corner, and you should see an open seat by Harry.” 

I nodded and shuffled my way through the aisles, looking out of the corner of my downcast eyes for the open set. As I trudged my way over, I heard some things. Among them were, “Harry wants to sit with that loser?” “That boy isn’t going to make it long with that crowd,” and my personal favorite; “what makes him so special?” 

I reached the empty seat and looked over to who was residing in the desk it was attached to, and almost ran away.


	4. Hi. Hey.

In it was the boy with the beautiful green eyes and the stare that could bring a grown man to his knees. He was looking at me intently, seemingly scrutinizing every part of me, his eyes slightly squinted and lip drawn between his teeth.

I squeaked out a lame “hi” and sat down quickly, edging my seat as far away from his as possible. He laughed lightly and then abruptly stopped and looked up, shaking his head and glaring. 

I followed his eyes and saw them locked with a girl with the dark hair, who was smiling widely and wiggling her eyebrows. I left them to their silent conversation and pulled out my Chemistry folder and a pencil, setting them next to the book that the teacher had handed me as I walked in. 

The teacher began to talk, so I flipped open the notebook and began to take notes, barely jotting down anything as I already knew this material quite well.

“Hello.” A deep voice from beside me rumbled from out of nowhere, making me jump about a foot in the air. “Hi. Again.” I whispered back, trying to look like I was busy so maybe he would leave me alone, trying to pretend like my hands weren’t shaking and heart racing. 

The hot boy is talking to me, of all people. It appears that some things can turn out right for me. 

“How long have you been in town?” 

“Um, about a week.” 

“I’ve been here forever. You know anyone yet?” I didn’t answer, not trusting my social skills, and just shook my head instead. 

“Well, now you know me. I’m Harry.” He announced proudly, and rather loudly, drawing a glare from the teacher. He glared right back and turned his attention to me once more, holding out his hand for me to shake. Hesitantly, I grasped his with my own and felt my hand get dwarfed by his, the thing was like a baseball mitt. He let go and pulled out his phone, playing on it under the desk. 

After a moment, he looked back up, “Do you have anywhere to sit at lunch?” I shook my head, no. “Good, I’ll find you.” As I looked at him, I didn’t notice my pencil rolling off the side of the desk. With almost practiced ease, Harry’s hand darted out and intercepted it before it had barely made it halfway to the floor, the lightning-fast movement startling me a little bit. 

He placed it back onto my desk with a tight-lipped smile, and then was back to his own little world. “Thank you,” I whispered. He grunted but made no more moves to converse with me. The teacher began to drone on about thermodynamic quantities, a topic that I was well-versed on and saw no need to take further notes.

 That said; I began to doodle. It was a bad habit of mine, you leave me without a task for just a few moments, and I would get carried away with something else, usually humming or drawing. Today, my brain decided to doodle the wolf. 

First, my pencil made the basic outline of the creature, taking it’s time perfectly shaping the snout and drawing each leg in perfect proportion. Next, I began to outline his features, sure to add in the characteristic up-turn of the lip, a tooth or two exposed. 

On his tail, I took the time to feather out each hair, the tail itself raised like it was wagging. His eyes were the hardest. They were alert and shining but still held a certain hardness beneath the outer layer of the exterior. I just couldn’t get the exact shade right with my colored pencil. The color was like nothing else I had ever seen. The green was so vibrant, but at the same time, it was almost pastel. The color was like grass in mid-spring; not yet at its peak, but still beautiful. 

That was the only word to describe the color. Beautiful.

As I flicked my pencil one final time in the collection of hair on his brow, the bell rang, signaling my departure and the continuation of my day. As students began to stir and leave, I stood up and placed my book and folder back into my bag, leaving the drawing on my desk. 

When I straightened back up, it was gone, as was Harry and the majority of the class. I looked around and under my desk for the misplaced drawing, but finally shrugged it off and just assumed that it had gotten caught up in one of my other items. 

I shrugged the bag onto my shoulder and left the room, waving to the teacher. Next on my schedule was English with a Mrs. Louise. As I made my way down the hall, I came across my two delinquents of family members. The pair were walking alongside the same boy that had picked on me earlier, Michael. Seems like bullies tend to gravitate to one another. 

They were each in loud banter with him, eyes crinkled while they laughed loudly. Behind them trailed the same aloof, dark featured boy that observed Harry and mine’s altercation before and a stocky boy with hazel eyes and blonde curls, his letterman jacket on proud display across his broad shoulders. Right up next to Michael, hanging off of his arm, was the fair boy named Luke with the enchanting eyes. 

It seems that my social butterfly brethren had already found their place in the hierarchy of the hell that was high school, right with the popular crowd, per usual. As they passed, neither of them even looked towards me, probably not wanting to soil their good name by being classified in the same rotten family tree as I. 

Luke, however, looked to me and smiled, giving a wave the best that he could with his arm pinned down under Michael’s. I waved back shyly and kept going past them, towards the English wing.


	5. Niall "Whiplash" Horan

In this class, thankfully, the teacher introduced me to the class on her own and gave me an assigned seat in a back corner, next to a blonde boy that I could tell was hyper just by looking at him. As I put down my books, the boy stopped tapping on his desk and looked at me with a nauseatingly happy smile. “Hi, I’m Niall, what’s your name? Oh yeah, it’s Louis, she just said that silly me, not like it changed in the last ten seconds. Do you like video games? You look like you like video games. And McDonalds’, please say that you like McDonald's’. I’m going to shut up now because Mrs. Louise is glaring at me again.” 

Is it possible to get whiplash from a conversation? If you can even call it that, it was more of an extensive monologue with full bibliography and perfect MLA format.

 “Hi.” Was my reply, eyeing him as I sat down cautiously. He clapped his hands together quietly, as not to disturb the teacher as she gave a small introduction to the video she was about to play, I believe it was  **The Crucible,** quite an elementary book, in my opinion. 

“Your voice is so adorable, you should talk more. And your hair is great; I can’t pull off a flat fringe like that.” Niall continued, practically falling out of his desk to get closer to me. 

And I now have a headache, how nice. 

As I sat there trying to process the information that was just given to me, the boy in front of me turned around, it was a pale boy with mint hair and glasses, and he bore a vague similarity to Niall. “Just ignore Niall, he’s incorrigible. I’m Tyler.” I took his outstretched hand and shook it, forcing a smile onto my face. Socializing was just never my forte.

 He giggled and turned back around, leaving me confused once more. That seems to be the only emotion I’ve experienced since stepping through the doors of this school; sheer, unadulterated confusion. 

With a muddled mind, I turned my attention to the scene playing on the screen, the one where John and Abigail meet in the forest to discuss their secret love affair. I really hate that bitch.

When the bell rang, I was practically asleep in my desk; I had the entirety of the movie’s dialogue memorized anyways. On autopilot, I tucked my unused materials into my bag, standing up to leave once more. Out of nowhere, Niall wrapped me in a bear-hug, squeezing tightly. “Bye Louis! You need to meet Hailee, don’t forget!” 

With that, he was gone, and I was left standing there, even more confused.  _ Who the hell was Hailee? _

“You’ll get used to him,” Tyler said, leaving as well. Shaking my head, I left the room last, heading for my third class, the last before lunch, when I would have to interact with Harry.

 It was trigonometry, my personal favorite branch of math. I had met the teacher on my tour, and he seemed like a knowledgeable, laid back person that was passionate about what he taught. 

He introduced me, the same as the previous teacher, and then allowed me to choose my own seat, the most daunting task of the day so far. I looked dartingly across the rows of students, a few empty desks here and there. Silently, a few people placed their items in the chairs adjacent to their own, putting up a metaphorical “no trespassing” sign. 

When I was about to just say screw it and sit alone in the very front corner by the teacher’s desk, a boy in the back waved at me and pointed to the seat. It was one from Harry’s group this morning, his brown eyes looked warm and he appeared nice enough. Deciding that it was either that or self-decided social exile, I took a deep breath and crossed the abyss of my peers, making it to the desk without tripping or getting any glares.

As I sat down, puppy-eyes turned to me, his squishy cheeks stretching as he smiled. “I’m Liam.” He chirped. “Louis,” I whispered back, keeping my gaze lowered. 

He frowned, “Don’t be shy, because shy backward is yhs, which makes no sense, just like being shy.” He said, crossing his arms.

I giggled, the first time that I had laughed all day, making him smile even wider. “That was funny,” I whispered.

 “I like you.” Was all that the soft-eyed boy said before pulling out his own supplies and beginning to do the assigned questions on the board. 

As I got out my respective materials, I had to fight to keep the blush from my cheeks and a smile from fighting its way onto my features. My first day and I was already liked. This move might not be a completely terrible thing after all. 

Yet again, I spoke too soon.

“Well if it isn’t Louis The New Kid Tomlinson.” The same harsh voice as earlier mocked; the deep timbre completely terrifying. I turned to look for the origin of the voice and was met by that infamous snaggle-toothed grin, eyes sparkling.

 I looked back down at my desk, deciding to just ignore him and see if he’d go on his merry way. “Acknowledge me when I’m talking to you shrimp, or-” “Or what, Michael, you’ll go all big bad wolf on him? I don’t think that even you’re that stupid, and you’re the one sitting in a class that you failed last year.” Liam shot back, defending me, which was quite nice of him. I pretty much turn to mush when it comes to confrontation. 

“Don’t start with me, Liam. Why are you defending this pip-squeak anyways? If you want, we could split him down the middle; both have a little fun.” Ok, this whole let’s just talk about Louis like he isn’t there thing is getting quite old. But, the whole splitting down the middle thing is kind of terrifying, so I’m just going to keep my mouth shut.

“Haz is planning to lay a claim, so shut up, you sour dog.” Liam bit out, eyes hard as he stared Michael down. I heard a desk being shoved backward, and then the teacher spoke up, “Mr. Clifford, can we not have a repeat our last year’s behavior? Detention Thursday, and don’t even think about trying to skip.”

 From the corner of my eye, I watched as Michael rolled his eyes and sat back down, and Liam gave me a thumbs up. “Thank you.” I mouthed to him. 

He smiled and went back to his work, leaving me to my thoughts. What were Liam and Michael talking about? Who is Haz, what does he want to claim, and what does it have to do with me? 

 I shook it off and finished the last question on the list and looked around some, very discreetly. The girl in front of me was still on the first of the ten problems, the multiple sheets of abandoned scratch paper a sign of her struggles. As I looked around more, I noted that I was the only one completed working. 

With nothing left to do, I pulled out a notebook and began to doodle once again, this time working on just the wolf’s eyes, determined to get them perfect.  Minutes passed, and eventually, the teacher clapped his hands together and went up to the board. “Alright, time to check our work. Who here completed all ten problems?”

Still absorbed in the exact placement of each individual lash, I just blindly raised my hand, looking up only when I heard a few snickers. “Louis, what did you get for number one?” The teacher asked, obviously excited to have a student that knew what was going on. 

“The height of the second building equals 200+200 like tan(10) and tan(20). Right?” “The teacher smiled, “That is absolutely correct. Does anyone know number two, other than Louis? Well then, I see you all have a lot more studying to do. Louis, can you bring me your paper please?” 

I kept my eyes downcast as I wove my way to the desk and sat down my paper, then made my way back to the seat. As I sat, I let loose a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding, shakily picking my pencil back up and starting back on the drawing to pass the final 15 minutes of class with. 

As I got absorbed in the picture, I heard Michael whisper one thing. “Why him?”

When the bell rang, I packed away my things and went to leave out behind Liam, but the teacher called me back. “Yes, sir?” I asked as I slunk up to his desk, eyes glued to the floor. Having a little chit-chat about my work really wasn’t high on my list. He probably thinks I cheated or something. 

“You got all of these right. That’s quite an accomplishment. You’re going to do great things, Louis.” Not what I expected. “Thank you.” With a huff of breath, I turned and exited the room as fast as possible. I have a lunchroom to get to, after all.


	6. Lunch Hour

Before I even made it through the double doors of the cafeteria, the nerves set in. Never have I ever eaten in the lunchroom of a school, usually, I just find an empty classroom or a nice teacher and hole up in there. I have the same level of extrovert nature as a scruffy hermit. Not exactly the best recipe for social inclusivity by my peers. 

With shaky hands and shallow breaths, I pushed open the doors and shuffled to the lunch line, head down and hood up. Following the tide of jovial and rambunctious teens, I picked up a lunch tray and held it out, a generous scoop of macaroni being placed on it. 

As I waited to get farther down the line, I scanned the room for any sign of Harry but found none, not even one of his friends. He probably lied to me to get my hopes up; he didn’t actually want to be seen with a loser like me.

Just as I made it almost completely through the line, I almost shit a brick. Someone came up behind me and whispered a deep “hello,” making me squawk and jump about a foot into the air, almost dropping my tray in the process. 

A tan hand with light tattoos darted out from behind me and grabbed the edge of it, keeping it from tipping its contents onto the floor. “Careful, Louis.” The voice said as it made my way into my vision. It was Harry, a smirk on his face and Liam and the smoldering one on either side of him. 

“Sorry, you scared me,” I whispered, regaining my lost composure. 

“It’s alright. Come on, let’s go eat.” He turned and began to walk off, heading towards the exit. Like a little puppy, I trailed behind with my food. As I passed a table, another hand stuck out in front of me, making me stop walking. As I looked to the owner of the offending hand, I found Luke, Michael’s boy, sitting there with a sympathetic smile on his face, eyes staring unfocused just past the side of my head.. “Be careful, love.” Was all he said, then retracted his hand and turned back to his table, which consisted of him, Michael, Calum, Niall, Ashton, a pretty blonde girl, and my brothers. 

My brothers looked at me and then immediately looked away, once again ignoring my presence. Why would he want me to be careful, he doesn’t even know me. And what was there to be careful of? Other than his little guard dog, Michael, that is.

“Come along,” Harry said, standing by the door. I snapped out of my thoughts and hurried along, following him out of the lunchroom and out of the building, to a tree by the football field. Liam and the smoldering one were already sitting there, the latter’s head in the former’s lap, hands occupied with making a daisy chain. 

As Harry and I approached, he started talking. “I guess you’ve met Liam, I know- I mean I think he has some classes with you. And the other boy is Zayn; he’s a senior, so you won’t see him much. As you can see, they’re sort of an item.” As he spoke, I nodded long and listened intently. 

Once we reached the other two, I sat amongst them with my food, nibbling as they got settled and talked amongst themselves some.

“So, you’re Louis?” Zayn asked after a moment, turning his head to look at me. He had a thick accent, a posh one, not the slight southern drawl most people have had. 

“Yep, that’s me,” I replied lamely, wanting to punch myself the moment that the words left my mouth. Now is not the time to channel my inner Raven Symone. 

“So, the shyness...” “You hush now Z, leave him alone.” Liam fussed, popping Zayn’s hand.  “It’s fine. I’m sure it’ll get better.” I answered, setting my food aside. Zayn nodded and Liam still looked miffed at him, so Harry took hold of the conversation. 

“So, Louis, tell us about yourself and how you ended up in Carterson.” I swallowed a gulp of water, “Well, my mom got a new job, so she packed up and brought my brothers and me here.” 

“You have brothers?” Liam asked, picking a leaf out of Zayn’s hair. “Yeah, Ben and Jack, you probably met them, they’re seniors.” 

Zayn threw his head back and started cackling. I shifted on the grass and looked down, not missing how Harry scooted a little closer to me and glared at Zayn. “What’s so funny?” I asked quietly. 

“Yeah, Zayn, what has gotten you into such a fit?” Harry asked a little more strongly, eyes locked with Zayn. Zayn sobered up a little more, but still had the traces of a grin on his lips. “Nothing really; I just think that it’s funny that cute and sweet little you is related to those two absolute clowns.” 

Harry loosened up a little after the explanation, his hackles metaphorically lowering. If I didn’t know how impossible it was, I would think that he was upset about Zayn potentially picking on me or something. But, I’m not stupid.

From school, I heard the bell ring and started to get up. Around me, the three boys stood as well, dusting the grass from their butts and straightening their shirts. I walked back with them to the building, dumping my tray in the trash can outside. 

“Bye, Louis, it was nice to meet you!” Zayn called, kissing Liam on the top of the head and quite oddly nosing his neck before joining the herd of people re-entering the main corridor. Did-did he just  _ sniff _ him? 

“What class do you have next, Louis?”  Harry asked, holding the door open for me. “Foreign Language, I think.” “Have you chosen which course you’re going to take?” Liam questioned, walking alongside me. “Probably Spanish, that’s probably the easiest,” I replied, adjusting my bookbag strap.

 “Take Latin with me, I-I mean us.” Harry stammered, scratching the back of his neck. “Oh, um, ok.” We turned a corner and headed for the Latin room door, but were intercepted halfway. Michael stepped from behind a row of lockers and blocked our path. Silently, Harry stepped in front of me. 

“What is it, Michael?” He asked calmly. Liam was right by him, head cocked to the side. “Luke needs to talk to you.” He said, crossing his arms.

 “Tell Luke that I don’t answer to him,” Harry replied, going to push by Michael, who put out an arm and barred him from passing. “It wasn’t a suggestion, Styles.” 

With an almost imperceptible growl, yes, growl, Harry gritted his teeth. “Fine. But tell him that he has to come to me, I crawl to no one.” Michael nodded and shouldered past Harry, sniffing as he passed me. “Fool,”  he mumbled, letting his shoulder hit mine as well. 

“Watch it, Mike!” Harry yelled, his only answer a raised middle finger. “Come on, we’re already late,” Harry grumbled, walking on. “What was that about?” I asked, honestly confused. It sounded more like a gang riff than a friendly hallway conversation. 

“Harry uh, parked in Luke’s spot. Great location, easy exit from the lot.” Liam explained, winking not-so-subtly in Harry’s direction. I just nodded, deciding to let it slide. It was my first day, and I really didn’t feel like dealing with drama.

Yes, we were late to class, but the teacher apparently loved Harry and Liam and let it slide, handing me a book with a smile and some phrase, I think it was “Fortuna.” Liam and Harry sat down at a table together, filling the only two available seats. The only other open seat was a table consisting of entirely of girls and cheerleaders at that. 

With a resigned breath, I turned to accept my fate at the other table, but Liam stopped me. “Louis, where are you going?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow. “To the empty seat,” I said, pointing dumbly to the vacant seat on the opposite side of the room. Harry laughed, “No you’re not, you’re going to sit with me.” 

“Where? All of the seats are taken,” I said slowly, like the fact wasn’t getting through Harry’s thick, gorgeous skull. Of course, I had to have a crush on a dumbass. 

“My lap is always an option.” I felt myself flush at his last comment, ducking my head. “Oh hush Harry, you’re going to scare him off,” Liam said, slapping Harry on the back of the head.

“Calm down, I was just kidding. Maybe. Colton, move to the other table.” Harry said, directing another boy at the table. The said boy scoffed, “No.” 

“Did I ask? No, I didn’t, so pack your shit and move.” The boy sighed and gathered his stuff as told and went to the other table, glaring back over at Harry.

I sat down in the chair but shot back up as Harry said, “No, you don’t sit there. Dylan, move to over by Liam.” He told the boy next to him, who looked up startled from his book.

 “It’s fine, I can just sit by Liam,” I said, going to sit back down.

 “I want you by me, though.” Harry pouted, shoving Dylan’s stuff across the table and pointing to the chair that Dylan was currently vacating. Holy shit did he just say that he wanted me to sit by him? Like he actually wants me near him? Wait, is he even gay? Please say that he’s gay. 

As I sat down, Harry smiled happily and unexpectedly laid his head on my shoulder, making me freeze. “You smell nice.” He said, picking his head back up. “Uh, thanks?” I sputtered, voice going high at the end. Harry sat up straight and covered his mouth, “Oh my God, I’m sorry, that was weird.”

 “Just a little bit, Harry. Just a little bit.” Liam glared over to him, shifting a little bit. Harry then comically yelped, scooting back a little bit. “Don’t kick me you bastard!” He whisper-yelled, leaning down to rub his injured leg. He pouted, Liam smiled smugly, and I giggled. 

 “OK, everyone, let’s get started with class.” The teacher said, clapping his hands to get our attention. I let loose one more little laugh and opened the book on my desk to the requested page, getting lost in the work.


	7. We Love a Good Accessory

The bell rang all too soon; I was almost reluctant to leave. This was by far the most fun class I’d had all day, and the material was actually interesting. It was my first time ever even viewing the language, and already I was decent at saying a few short sentences about myself and I knew the basic rules of the language. I figured it out about five minutes into the period that Harry and Liam were pretty much fluent, and they spent the majority of their time helping me to catch up with the rest of the class. 

As I packed up and stood, Harry put his hand on my shoulder. “You’re going to be good at this.” He said, smiling. 

“Thanks.” I blushed and ducked my head, swaying on my heels.

 “Come on, Louis, we need to hurry up and get to the gym!” Liam called, standing by the door. 

“Bye Harry!” I said, waving slightly as I followed the smiling boy out of the room. “Bye, mea.” He responded, barely whispering the last part. What does that mean? I think mea means “my” or “mine,” but I’ll have to look it up later. Strange nickname. 

In front of Liam and I, Zayn was coming towards us with a few people I assume are his friends, one of them had an oddly shaped face, almost like his jaw was broken, and the other had glasses and shockingly red hair. As he walked by, he ruffled Liam’s hair and patted my shoulder, saying “Hey baby, Hey Louis! See you after school Li.” before he turned the corner, laughing with the two boys.

 Liam watched him disappear wistfully, sighing once he turned back around. “I love him.” He said, mostly to himself. “I can see ” I replied with a laugh. Liam’s cheeks turned red and he placed his hands over them, giving a weak “shut up.” 

As we entered the gymnasium doors, he smiled widely and punched my shoulder, “Hey, just wait until you meet the P.E. coach.” “What’s wrong with him?” “Absolutely nothing.” Well, he wasn’t wrong.

The coach was a middle-aged guy, more like a god parading around as a middle-aged guy. He had forest green eyes,  _ what is up with green eyes in this place _ , framed by thick, long eyelashes, and his sculpted face was peppered with freckles, lips turned up in a smirk. “Who is this, Liam?” He asked, walked, more like strutting, over.

 “This is Louis, Mr. Redmayne. Take it easy on him.” 

“Oh, Liam, you know I never take it easy on anyone. Louis, come with me and I’ll give you your athletic clothes.” I nodded and followed, Liam walking with us. 

“You’re in what, Louis, a medium?” he asked once we reached his office, a small room adorned with framed newspaper clippings of a boy running track, most of the headlines something along the lines of “Redmayne does it again,” and “State-Bound.” “Small.” 

He nodded and reached into a box, pulling out a shirt and a pair of shorts. “Your Vans will do for athletic shoes.” I nodded and took the clothing mumbling a small “Thank you” before following Liam out of the office and down a little hallway. “This is the locker room,” Liam explained, pushing open the door, “The locker by mine is empty, so you can use that one.” 

We walked through the small groups of boys in various states of undress, whipping one another with towels and singing off-key songs. We reached a row of lockers thankfully in the back and Liam showed me mine, demonstrating how to open the door since it sticks sometimes.

I put my bookbag in there and started to take off my clothes, starting by shedding my jacket. 

“Ah, shit, I left my shirt in my other locker, I’ll be right back,” Liam cursed, putting his regular shirt back on and leaving the room. I nodded and resumed changing, taking my shirt off next. The majority of the boys had already changed and left the room, only a sparse handful remained. 

While picking up my gym shirt, a fist slammed into the locker by my head, making me squeak and cover my head. It was Michael, figure looming and that stupid grin on his face. “Hey, little boy. Where are your friends?” He asked, eyes gleaming. 

“Not here,” I whispered, curling into myself. “I can see that. Now, I think it’s time you and I got really acquainted.” I squeezed my eyes shut and closed my eyes, waiting for the impending blow, not dissimilar to this morning. 

“Michael Gordon Clifford, you leave my sight for five minutes and this is what happens. How many times have I told you not to be mean to people, yet here you are, about to beat the shit out of this boy. Now apologize, and I’ll deal with you later.”

 I opened one eye to see Luke yelling at Michael, the latter looking absolutely terrified, mouth moving like he was trying to apologize but no words were coming out. 

Michael looked at me and rolled his eyes and went to leave, but Luke hit him in the arm, which probably would have evoked the wrath of a thousand hells on any other person, but Luke seemed to be completely unafraid of this monster.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled like a child to their sibling after being scolded by their parent. I nodded warily, slowly putting my shirt on. 

“What did you do to him?” A voice asked, sounding angry. It was Liam, who was standing by the door with his shirt in hand, glaring at the three of us. “Nothing.” Michael said, whispering a barely audible “yet,” after, making Luke jab his elbow into his hip. 

“Absolutely nothing, Liam, I took care of this, you have no need to tell H of this,” Luke said, looking almost nervous. The conversation shifted back to Liam, who still looked angry. “Keep your dog on a shorter leash, Luke. I don’t think that H will be happy if I have to tell him of this.” Luke nodded, ushering Michael from the room. 

“Are you sure you’re OK?” Liam asked seriously, looking me over. “I’m fine, he didn’t do anything. Liam, who is H?” Liam blinked and replied “The principal,” in a flat tone, going right back to getting ready for PE. As we walked into the gym, I saw a glimpse of curly  hair around the corner but paid no mind to it.

After 45 minutes of grueling lap-running, the day was finally over. We all made our way back into the locker room, the towel whipping resuming. As I reached into my locker for my clothes, something else fell out and fluttered to the floor. 

As I picked it up, I had no clue where it came from. It was a necklace with a silver airplane pendant, silver and sparkling. “Wh-where did you get that?” Liam asked, eyes wide. “I just found it. When I opened my locker, it fell out.” “You work fast H,” Liam mumbled, hand reaching out to roll the pendant around in his hand.

 I admired the fine details on the wings.. I grinned and finished getting dressed, putting the necklace on over my head afterward. “Come on, Louis, you can walk out to the parking lot with me.” I nodded and put my P.E. clothes in the locker, following Liam out of the room and to the parking lot, stopping by our lockers on the way there.

 He kept the conversation going, from talking about Zayn’s football skills and how he was the best quarterback that the school had ever seen, to how Harry’s favorite ice cream flavor was truly disgusting {mint chocolate chip}, to asking me about my hobbies and favorite things now and then. I liked that he could keep a conversation interesting without needing constant input from me. 

As we made it into the lot, Liam grinned and ran to Zayn, jumping up and kissing him, reuniting like they hadn’t seen each other in years. Harry stood by them playing on his phone, glancing up and rolling his eyes at their actions. 

I saw my brothers waving at me, looking impatient, and gave them the one moment sign. Jack flipped me off and Ben crossed his arms, trying to look intimidating. It really didn’t work.

I bit my lip and slid up to the three boys standing around the shiny black Range Rover that looked  _ nice. _ Way nicer than any high school student should have. My first car is probably going to be some beat up old truck or a Honda Civic or something else embarrassing. 

I cleared my throat once I got in hearing distance of the trio, making Liam and Zayn break their sickeningly loving gaze and Harry look up from his phone, smiling widely. 

“I just wanted to say thank you all for being so nice to me today,” I said shyly, face probably heating up. 

“Aw, no problem Louis, we actually quite like you.” Zayn, said, flashing an award-winning smile. 

“Yea, I think we’ll keep you around,” Liam added. 

Harry gave me the gentlest smile I had ever seen, eyes shining with some unknown emotion, flicking down occasionally. “Never anything but.” He said, voice taking on a dreamy tone. I smiled and waved goodbye, turning to leave before my brothers left me if their incessantly honking horn meant anything.

 “Oh, and Louis,” Harry said. I turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. “Nice necklace.” I blushed once again and gave a small wave, going to my brothers’ car before they committed their first felonies.

 I climbed in the back, ignoring their berating for my tardiness, plugging in my headphones and starting up the Ed Sheeran, nodding my head and moving my lips along to “Castle on a Hill,” the small smile never leaving my lips.


	8. Time To Wake Up

We got home and I headed up to my room, throwing down my bag and opening up my computer, once again heading to the internet for some explanations. On the way home, I had thought more on the wolf. From what I saw from last night’s search, they most definitely weren’t supposed to grow to that large, nor be that confrontational. Apparently, they were more prone to follow the flight instinct more than the risky fight one. 

Also, they were supposed to travel in packs, but this one seemed to be all alone at the moment. And then this morning, I saw a wisp of a different colored one, or maybe I was just seeing things. For what felt like hours, I sat at the computer and researched. So far the most sensible explanation was either a domesticated wolf or a were-creature, which was preposterous. 

Then, I decided to do something stupid. I grabbed an empty backpack and threw a stick of summer sausage from the fridge in; you have to bait them, you know, and headed out to the woods, sending my mom a text to let her know that I would be back at dark. With determination and a possible death wish, I walked into the woods, bound and determined to confirm that I wasn’t crazy.

Walking through the woods, some things looked familiar to me. After a while, I fully recognized a tree with low slung branches, one of those which I had passed as I ran from whatever it was. Shaking off my nerves, I sat down the backpack, sitting down by it to wait for the wolf to show up. 

I unwrapped the sausage and pinched off a chunk, popping it in my mouth and waiting. After a while, my legs started to cramp and I got bored, drawing doodles into the earth by me. “Colors” by Halsey came to mind, and I started to hum, switching to singing as I reached the chorus. As I sang the second verse, I heard something rustle near me. I paid no mind to it and continued the song, leaning my head back against the trunk of the tree and just relaxing. That is until I heard something that definitely wasn’t nothing.

I cut off mid-word and looked up, eyes locking once more with the green irides of the wolf, who was sitting directly in front of me, tail curled neatly around his feet. He wasn’t moving or making any noise, just sitting with his head tilted to the side. 

The broken stick by him accounted for the noise that I heard. “H-hi,” I said, sitting up straight, slowly and without any sudden moves. He thumped his tail slightly, shaking his head a little. “I’ll take that as a hello.”

I reached into my bag and pulled out the remainder of the sausage, unwrapping it all of the ways and holding it out. “Do you want some?” Ok, yep, I’m officially crazy. Here I am, sitting in the middle of the woods on my ass, offering food to an undersized bear. 

I was so enamored in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice him standing up, jumping a little bit when I came back to the realm of reality and he was standing directly in front of me, nose inspecting the food I held. His breath was warm against my hand, the cool dampness of his nose making contact with my outstretched hand every now and then. 

With utmost gentility, he opened his mouth and took the offering from me, backing up and chewing it, wagging his tail once he was done. With a little yip, he came back up and stuck his nose in my bag, snuffling. 

“No more, that’s all I brought,” I said with a little giggle. He retracted his head and lowered his ears, almost like he was disappointed, but wolves can’t feel emotions so that’s bonkers. “I’ll bring something else tomorrow, I promise,” I said.

Bouncing a little on his front paws, he licked my cheek, making me freeze. In slow motion, he backed up, flattening his ears against his head like he had done something wrong. I wiped my cheek and laughed, making him stand back up from his crouched position. 

With the tentativeness of a burglar, he eased back up to me, lowering his head and bumping his nose against my hand which was rested in my lap. I picked it up and placed it on top of his head, slowly rubbing between his ears. He closed his eyes and started wagging his tail faster, obviously enjoying it. 

This wolf/dog/small horse was for sure someone’s sick version of a lap-dog, and he seemed to be well trained, practically understanding everything that came out of my mouth.

 With a huff, he laid down by me, head on top of his paws, looking up me with his big eyes. I resumed my scratching, humming as I did so, which turned into a soft-sung “Emmylou,” his eyes starting to drift shut, as were mine. 

The last thing I remember was my hand threading through the coarse hair on his neck, the final strains of the song leaving my drowsily moving lips.

I was awoken by someone nudging my side, nearly knocking me over from the force of it. “Fuck off Jack.” I groaned, wanting just a little more sleep. I heard a growl, and then I really did get knocked over. 

That definitely wasn’t Jack.

 I shot up, rubbing my eyes to clear the sleep from my eyes, which really didn’t help considering it was nearly pitch black dark. I could barely make out the outline of the wolf, which was pawing at my leg and whining. 

“What time is it?” I asked aloud, digging through my pockets for my phone. Oh my dear god it's 8:30. It’s been dark for nearly two hours.

 On my screen was at least a hundred missed calls and messages from my mother and brothers, all caps texts expelling their distress. I scrambled up my feet, turning the light on my phone to the brightest setting and shouldering the backpack.

 “I’ll see you tomorrow, that is if my family doesn’t kill me!!” I called to the wolf, which was standing by me, eyes nearly level with mine.

I set off at a fast pace towards my house, already dreading what will meet me upon my return. I don’t put it past my mother to have already called the police, Scotland Yard, hell, maybe even the Marine Core. 

From behind me, I heard the leaves crinkling, heavy footsteps following mine. I turned around, almost causing the wolf to run headfirst into me, but he stopped just in time to be face-to-face with my best “mom glare,” arms crossed, hip cocked, and eyebrows raised. “I know we’re friends and all, but I can’t bring you home,” I said, pointing my finger like I was giving a scolding. 

He huffed and licked my hand before turning and walking off, tail nearly dragging the dirt. I sighed and turned back onto course faster than ever. Mere seconds later, my house lights began to shine through the trees, like a beacon. 

To my left passed an unmistakable blur, black fur passing by like an ominous cloud. Before I crossed the threshold into my yard, I sighed and looked to the clump of trees where I knew he was, “You’re not a very good hider.” I said, giggling. 

He stuck his head from around the tree, tongue lolling from his mouth. As I stepped onto the back porch, a short howl bid me farewell, a few more meeting it in the distance, almost too faint to hear. A limb shook, and he was gone. 

Now, to face what will surely be the wrath of God.


	9. Sweet Home North Dakota

As soon as the door opened, she was upon me. I was wrapped in the mother of all bear hugs, the life surely being squeezed out of me. “Louis Williamson Tomlinson, where the hell have you been? Your brothers and I were worried sick! You wouldn’t answer your phone, and I was just sure that you had gotten lost, or worse.” 

Behind mom, I saw Jack and Ben both mouth “No we weren’t.” 

“I fell asleep with my phone on silent, I’m sorry.” 

“God, where were you, what were you even doing?” 

“I went for a walk.” Was all that I said. Now that I know for sure that I’m not bat-shit crazy and that this wolf is a living, breathing, palpable creature, I kind of want to keep him to myself. It’ll just be a fight every time I bring it up, they won’t believe me unless I parade him into the living room.

 “Lord knows, don’t ever scare me like that again, now, let’s go eat some supper. I brought home pizza.” She gave me one more hug and led us all into the dining room where three boxes of pizza sat. 

Ben and Jack each got their own pepperoni and spinach pizza, while my mom and I split a cheese. We ate in silence for a moment until my mom decided that it was time to talk about our days. “So, Ben, Jack, how did your day go?” she asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin and taking a sip of her Mountain Dew. 

“We made some friends; one’s a football player and he said that the team lost a bunch of people with last year’s graduating class, so they could really use us. However, he said that Jack here is going to have a tough time getting The QB1 spot, apparently, the residing one is amazing. He supposed to be a senior as well, but I don’t think I met him.” Ben said, punching a brooding Jack in the shoulder. 

“You mean Zayn?” I asked, piping up at the mention of one of my friends. “Who?” Jack asked, taking a rather unseemly bite of his pizza.

 “Zayn. Dark features, thick accent. Kinda broody.” I explained the best I could. “The bad boy wannabe that hangs out amongst the other potheads? That’s the football quarterback?” I nodded, pouting a little because Jack was making fun of one of my friends. “You’ve got to be kidding me. The football program must suck if he’s their MVP.”

“Don’t pick on Z,” I said, kicking Jack under the table. “Awe, does wittle Louey have a cwush?” Ben teased, pinching my cheek, getting a slapped hand in return. 

“I think Liam would kill me if I touched Z,” I said. “Who’s Liam, dear?” My mom asked, looking over inquisitively. 

“My friend, Zayn’s boyfriend. Harry, Liam, and Zayn are my friends, I think.” I said proudly, smiling widely. 

“That’s nice, sweetheart. Oh, where did you get that necklace?” she asked, suddenly noticing the dangling charm. “I found it.” She held out her hand, and I placed it in it, letting her look it over. How on earth did that necklace get into my locker? And why is that wolf apparently smitten with me? Why are there so many unanswered questions after only a week?

 “Louis, you should go ahead and get a shower, you have school in the morning.” Mom suggested, handing me back the necklace. I complied and handed her my plate on my way through the kitchen, heading up the stairs. 

Jack was just walking out of the shower when I got up there, allowing me to sneak in before Ben got there. I showered quickly, ready to go to bed. For once in my life, I was ready for the next day, excited to go to school, especially to see Harry. 

I was also eagerly anticipating getting to go back and see the wolf again. I really must think of something to call him other than “the wolf,” it wasn’t really a name. Maybe Fido or Rover would work. On second thought, those are stupid names for a creature as magnificent as him. I thought about how he had looked and acted tonight, so timid and sweet, fur soft and fluffy. He was as big as a moose but had the temperament and nature of a kitten.

_ Moose. That’s what I’ll call him. _

Settled on a name, I finished rinsing out my hair and turned off the faucet, toweling off and putting on my pajamas, leaving the room in a cloud of steam. Ben was standing outside, jaw set and eyes steely. “I’ve been waiting for 15 minutes, Lucifer. Too long.”

 I went to apologize, but was instead shoved aside, quite roughly, into the door frame, arm starting to throb where it made contact. “F-Fuck you,” I said through gritted teeth, smacking him in the chest as I walked by, trying to the tears at bay and retain at least a shred of dignity.

I slammed my door shut behind me, gingerly rubbing my tender arm, hissing at the sharp pain. I crawled into bed and laid so that my arm had little pressure on it, sighing before clearing my mind and relaxing. Tomorrow I get to potentially hang out with Harry and his friends more, and I might get to see the Moose again. 

Maybe North Dakota wasn’t all that bad.


	10. On The Shelf Between John Green and Twilight

This morning, my wake up call was a hand painfully squeezing my arm, making me shoot awake and yelp; pulling my arms to my body. The perpetrator was Ben, who grinned before leaving my room without saying a word. I cursed him and stood up, looking at my once again throbbing limb. 

On my bicep right above my elbow was a nasty bruise, already a deep blue color, borderline black. The edge was tinged in purple, and the bruise itself was a nearly perfectly vertically line, about 2” wide, extending for about 6” up my arm.

 God, I hate Ben. 

I rummaged through my closet and found a plain navy blue tee-shirt and paired it with some dark jeans, making sure that the necklace was exposed. I walked over to the mirror I had hanging by my window, trying to save the frizzy mess of hair I had atop my head. I rummaged through the drawer in the dresser under the mirror for my bottle of hairspray, finding it after a moment. 

As I looked back into the mirror, something outside of the window caught my eye, just something out of the ordinary. I gave it a second glance, and would you believe it, it was a wolf. It wasn’t Moose, but it was another one with sandy fur, almost beige. From this angle, it looked smaller than Moose, buts its appearance wasn’t any less intimidating. 

With stoic posture, it looked across the yard, sitting right in the edge of the trees, probably unnoticeable from the ground level of the house. 

Hastily, I fixed my hair and ran down the stairs without even having put on my shoes, running out the back door and to the edge of the forest. I looked to where the wolf had been sitting, and he was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that verified his presence was a patch of flattened leaves and grass, wolf-shaped. 

I swear to God that I’m living in some twisted fiction novel.

“Louis, what are you doing, dear?” My mom called from the door, wringing her hands in a dishtowel. “Nothing, I saw a, uh, I saw a bird.” “Ok, well, come in before you catch a cold with those bare feet.” I nodded and headed back towards the house, hands in my pockets and head down. 

Now that I think about it, the wolf from this morning looked to be the same color as that flash of fur from yesterday morning. Did we move into the same neighborhood as some exotic pet dealer or someone with a strange affinity for rhino-sized German Shepherds? 

No truly wild animal acts the way that Moose does, not that tame and responsive to human touch and interaction. And I’ve never seen a wild animal just come and chill by your house.

I pushed open the door to the house and walked in, immediately hit with the scent of bacon. I must have completely missed it on my way through the downstairs earlier. “Go put on your shoes and get back down here for breakfast, before your brothers get hold of it.” 

I smiled and jogged back up the stairs, grabbing a pair of brown combat boots from my closet and putting them on, grabbing my pack and making it back down the stairs before either Ben or Jack had even emerged from their room. One good thing about being the baby is that I got my own room while those two imbeciles had to share.

As I sat at the bar, Mom put a plate heaping with eggs, bacon, and toast in front of me, sliding a cup of chocolate milk by it with a wink.  I grinned and shoved a piece of bacon in my mouth, washing it down with a swallow of milk, noting that it had extra chocolate. 

“I would have had some summer sausage to go with breakfast,” Mom said, scrambling another egg in a bowl, “but it went missing, I’m not sure what happened to it.” I nearly choked on my eggs at that, coughing violently for a second. “

Went down the wrong pipe. I haven’t seen it.” I said to her concerned face, regaining my composure. “I’ll have to get some more.” She said, fixing the other two plates. As she did so, the masses pounded down the stairs, sounding more like a herd of buffalo than teenage boys. 

“Hey, mom, sup loser.” Jack said, snatching up his plate and shoving in a handful of bacon, gnawing loudly, “Charming.” I said with a grimace, covering a yawn with my hand. “Oh my God, Lou, what happened to your arm?” My mom asked, evidently noticing the grotesque bruise. She rushed over to the bar and grabbed my arm, making me hiss and snatch it back. 

“Ask one of your other children,” I said, spitefully shooting Ben a glare, singling him out. 

“Ben, what have I told you about bullying Louis? He’s your brother; you should look out for him, not hurt him. Next time, I’m taking your phone.” She lectured, her voice taking on the “mom” tone. “He should learn to stick up for himself,” Ben argued. 

“Do not try me, Benjamin, I brought you into this world and I can take you back out of it.  I’ll take the car as well, from you and Jack.” 

“Dude, be nice to the kid,” Jack said, shoving Ben a little. Apparently, the threat of having the privileges of his precious car revoked was enough to get him on my side for once. Usually, he was Ben’s cohort in these situations. 

Matters settled, we all just set about finishing our food. Today I wanted to go back out in the woods. Mom probably won’t like that idea, but it won’t hurt to ask.

 “Mom, can I go walking again today?” I asked, putting on my sweetest angel son face. She looked like she wanted to say no, but sighed and slowly nodded, “Yes, alright, as long as you are actually back on time tonight. It’s good that you are going out some instead of sitting holed up on that computer all the time.” “Thanks, Mom, I will.”

Mom smiled wryly and looked at the clock hanging above the stove, “Come on guys, you lot need to be up and out by now. Be good, be nice, and I’ll see you all when I get home from work tonight. I love you all!” 

We each gave her a kiss or hug and filed out of the house, climbing into the jeep again. As we drove, I thought a lot about the happenings about my house lately. First, I thought about my new-found friendship with Moose, and about the sandy creature lurking near my house, and how everyone at school was so peculiar, it was just strange. But it was also fun and interesting, something new that I haven’t experienced before.

 Never have I had people actually take a liking to me so quickly, no matter their age, and never have I dealt with such a strange creature like Moose. The only time in my life I have come across a tale half this wondrous and unexpected was in a fictitious novel, hidden on the shelves between Twilight and a John Green novel. 

Real life isn’t supposed to work like this.


	11. Wakey Wakey

At school, Ben and Jack abandoned me as they did yesterday, but the difference today was that I didn’t have to walk alone into uncharted territory.

Today, the moment I exited the vehicle, Liam spotted me from across the lot and jumped up and down, waving enthusiastically and tugging on Zayn’s shirt, pointing at me. I waved back and headed across the lot to the Camaro that they were standing in front of today, minus Harry.

This one must be Zayn’s car. Can somebody say trust fund babies?

“Hey, Louis!” Liam yelled, wrapping me in a hug as soon as I reached the pair. Zayn looked on with nothing but fondness in his eyes, ever so smitten with Liam. “

Hey Liam, hi Zayn,” I said as soon as Liam pulled away from me. “How’s it going?” He asked, tucking himself back up under Zayn’s arm. “Fine, what about you two?” I replied, awkwardly shifting. “We’re alright,” Zayn answered looking over my shoulder.

I went to turn and see what he was looking at but jumped when I felt someone brush up behind me, touching my hair, twirling around to see who it was.

Harry was right up behind me, height kind of intimidating and clothes not really helping, his black and leather limited wardrobe was the perfect recipe for scary. He twitched his nose and looked down to me, giving some type of weird half-cocked grin with his tongue poking out a little bit, nose twitching.

“Hello, Louis.” He rumbled, slightly bowing. “Hey, Harry.” I half whispered, taking an unplanned step away from his looming figure. He frowned a little and I watched his eyes flicker down to my arm, and then look as if they steeled, the green growing somehow darker.

“What happened to your arm?” He asked, reaching out and turning it so that he could get a good look at it. The action was fast and brash, but the touch was surprisingly gentle, fingertips light as air. “Oh, nothing, you know how brothers can be,” I said, playing it off even though it quite hurt.

Harry released the limb and stuck his hands in his pockets, quirking an eyebrow. “Your brother did this?” He questioned, looking to Zayn. “Ben was just playing around, I’m fine,” I assured, bending my am to show that it was fully functional, grimacing only slightly.

Harry gave an almost imperceptible nod to Zayn, who kissed Liam on the cheek and left without another word. “Come on, Louis, we need to get to class, as does Liam.” With another hug, Liam was scurrying off, almost at a skip.

  
“Shall we?” He asked, gesturing towards the building. With a shy nod, I followed alongside; sneaking glances at his hulking frame alongside mine occasionally. He had to be a full head taller than me.

He walked with his head high and back straight, the complete opposite of me with my “keep your head down and no one will bother you” attitude.

Each person that we passed looked up to him, silently respecting. He obviously held power in this school; you could tell by the way that some physically shrank as they passed. His heavy leather boots clopped against the floor as we walked, each step signaling his impending arrival at whatever destination he may choose.

“Having fun staring?” He asked out of nowhere, a weird grin on his face, never looking from straight ahead. “I was- I, uh, sorry.” I squeaked, lowering my head even more.

“It’s ok.” He said, glancing over, “I like to stare, too.”

That is single-handedly the creepiest, yet somehow sweet, thing that has ever been said to me.

As we rounded the corner, I quite literally ran into by a blonde bundle of energy that gasped and jumped up and down once they saw who I was.

“Omigod, hey Louis. Hailee, Hailee, look who it is, it’s Louis! It’s Louis from English!” Niall spoke faster than most auctioneers, frantically tugging on a girl’s arm. It was the girl from Luke’s friend group, the one with the long blonde hair. “Nice to meet you Louis, Niall stop all that bouncing.” She said politely, putting her hand on Niall’s shoulder.

“Nice to meet you, too,” I replied quietly, pulling on my ear. Hailee smiled and looked at my necklace, smile faltering. She looked to a disgruntled looking Harry, who stood a little way away from me, leaned against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Oh, hello Harry,” Hailee said with a dry, fake chuckle. “I’m sorry about Niall. He’s just a little enthusiastic. He didn’t mean to bother Louis.”

Harry nodded and gave a little grunt, making Hailee let out a little breath. I tried to say that he wasn't bothering me at all, but Hailee was already steering Niall in the opposite direction. “We’ll be going now, bye!” Hailee called, Niall waving as he was ushered away.

“Everyone seems to respect you here,” I said, watching as a person moved quickly out of our way at that very moment. “I guess I’m popular, then.” Was his cryptic answer, a hand running through his messy yet somehow gorgeous hair. I just want to touch it. Weird thought, Louis, weird thought.

We walked into the Chemistry class just as the bell rang, going to our seats in the back. I pulled out the homework that I had completed in the car on the way home yesterday, I had in fact gotten all of it for the next week done.

The curriculum at this school was so so far behind my last schools, along with my independent studies. Instead of the teacher from yesterday, a man with a severe pot belly and total crustache came in with a briefcase in hand, as well as a doughnut.

“Hello, class. Your teacher is sick with something, so I’m your substitute for today. She didn’t leave any lesson plans, so feel free to talk amongst yourselves, sleep, whatever it is that teenagers do.”

With that, he sat in the chair behind the desk and propped his feet up, presumably to take a nap. I sighed and tucked my work away, laying my head down instead.

“Want to talk?” Harry asked, startling me. “Sure,” I said, picking my head back up.

“So, how do you like the town so far?” he asked, propping his head upon his arm.

“I don’t really know, I haven’t actually gotten out at all,” I answered truthfully. His jaw dropped and he gasped in mock horror, “We’re going to have to change that. You, Zayn, Liam, and I should do something this weekend, give you the grand tour of this shitty old town. I know an ice cream parlor and a movie theater that everyone loves. Oh, and we could go to the park.” He rambled, ticking off places on his fingers.

“Ok, sounds like a date, or, u-uh, excursion. Platonic.” I said, fumbling over my words even more so than usual. “A date.” He finalized, smiling. We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, then a yawn overtook me, one of those big ones that make your toes curl and send a shiver throughout the entirety of your body.

“You tired?” He asked, a smile tugging at his lip. “A little,” I replied shyly, muffling another yawn.

“You can take a nap, it won’t hurt my feelings.” I smiled gratefully and laid my head down on my arms, shifting every few seconds. I just couldn’t seem to get comfortable, sleeping in desks definitely wasn’t a Tempur-Pedic experience.

  
“Do you want to, um, lean on my shoulder? You look like you’re having trouble getting comfy down there? You don’t have to though,” He offered. I wanted to say no and just suffer down here on the cold surface of the desk, but he looked like such a good candidate for a human pillow, I just couldn’t pass it up.

With timid movements, I gingerly laid my head on his shoulder, in all honestly just barely grazing his actual arm. It felt weird to just lay all over someone. After a moment of complete awkwardness, Harry sighed and put his hand on the side of my head and pulled me all the way in, holding me there for a second, and oh my god, this was better than I could ever imagine.

He had the most comfortable shoulder I had ever had the pleasure of napping on. I can’t even imagine how great it would be to get to cuddle with him, he just seems like a nice person to get to cuddle.

Surprisingly, the hardcore looking metal jacket he was wearing was actually really soft, and don’t even get me started on how good he smelled. It was like sharp like the woods after a good rain, earthy and wet. It had a bit of musk to it, and just the slightest hint of peppermint, probably from the gum that he was always enthusiastically chomping on.

“You good down there?” He asked, poking my cheek a little bit. “Perfect,” I mumbled, eyelids growing heavy. As I drifted all the way into a peaceful sleep, I could have sworn I heard Harry mutter “mea.”


	12. Werewolves On Three

“Louis, time to get up,” My mom said, gently shaking my shoulder. Only my mom was this gentle in getting me up, Ben and Jack usually caused bodily harm or made obnoxious sounds until I just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Five more minutes, mom.” I groaned, shifting on my pillow. Wait. That’s not a pillow. That’s not my mom. I’m in school.

I shot up, wiping my eyes, and blinking the sleep from my eyes.

“Do I sound like your mother?” Harry asked, laughing lightly. “

Sorry about that,” I mumbled, covering my face in embarrassment. “It’s fine, the bell is about to ring.” I nodded and got my bag, standing up and walking to the front of the room beside Harry.

“So, I’ll see you at lunch?” He asked, looking kind of hopeful. “I’ll be there,” I said, ruffling my hair. Harry looked at me with the same eyes he had as yesterday, shining and full of something that I couldn’t decipher.

The bell rang just then, the throng of students around us pushing to get out of the door. Harry went to walk out first but turned back to me right before he exited the room. “Oh, and Louis, you’re cute when you sleep.”

Then, he was gone, and I was an embarrassed pile of mush in the middle of the Chemistry room doorway. I suppressed my impending squeal and continued on to English, where Niall was sure to talk my ear off.

What fun.

Sure enough, the moment that I was in hearing distance, he started. First, he talked about me meeting Hailee, following by him extensively explaining that he had staked his claim on Hailee, then he described in detail the benefits of a daily helping of whole-oats. What even is this child?

By then the teacher mercifully gave Niall one of her silencing death glares and resumed the movie, picking up where we left on in the scene when the warrant committee find the poppet in the Proctor household. The poppet was obviously placed there with the sole purpose of framing Elizabeth, but that damn town is so close-minded that they just blame everything on witchcraft. As I said yesterday, I really disliked this book.

  
English was by far my least favorite class. I saw it as unnecessary, like who even really needs to read a book by someone who nobody really knows, about something nobody cares about.

The moment the bell rang, I was gone, eager to get to Trig. As soon as I walked in, Liam smiled broadly, waving and patting my seat. I smiled back and sat down, starting on the work for today.

“Tomlinson.” Someone hissed, sounding a lot like a certain brute with red hair. I flipped him off and kept writing, deciding not to deal with his ass today.

“Turn around you little prick,” he said, voice growing more and more peeved. Rolling my eyes, I turned to see what he wanted and was surprised whenever his harsh exterior façade fell, eyes flickering between my face and my chest. “Oh, um, I’m sorry, I thought that he was kidding. My apologies.”

With that, he turned back to his own work, leaving me confused. Kidding about what? Who was doing the kidding? “Doubt me again, you bitch, see where that gets ya!” Liam crowed, leaning over and flicking Michael in the ear.

Michael growled, yes, growled, and whipped around, eyes burning. “You don’t have a Gift, you little shit, there is no code for you.” He said, biting each word out. Liam stopped his triumphant laughing and glared, rubbing at his neck. “Shut up.” He mumbled, picking up his pencil.

OK, what was going on? “Liam,” I said, poking his shoulder with my pencil. “Hmm?” He answered, not picking his eyes up off of his paper. “What’s a gift?”

“Nothing you should be concerned about. Oh, Harry told me that we’re all going to do something this weekend.”

“Yeah, he said that he’d give me a tour of the town.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Conversation ceased, we went back to our individual work, which I finished in a flash. As per yesterday, I was the only one that got all of the problems correct, and I was once again singled out by the teacher for it. He was a nice man, but he really needs to stop putting me in the spotlight.

When the bell rang, Liam and I walked to the door together, chatting about things to do in the town. Well, he chatted and I listened.

When I went to walk out of the door, Michael bumped into me. He jumped back and looked like he had seen a ghost, apologizing profusely. He hurried away down the hall, leaving me extremely confused and a snickering Liam.

“Seriously, what the fuck is going on?” I asked. “Michael is just a baby. That’s all you need to know.”

  
I didn’t want lunch today, so we stood outside the door, talking and waiting for Zayn and Harry. While we stood there, the group of seniors that my brothers associated themselves with walked by, and I swear to God my heart almost stopped.

Calum shoved Ashton to the side, putting Ben front and center. He had a bruise on his face, almost as prominent as mine, encompassing his eye, which was bloodshot. He trudged along slowly, eyes to the ground. Jack was next to him, looking just as forlorn.

“Boo.” Someone said, breath hot on the back of my neck. “Jesus!” I shrieked, whipping around. Harry was standing there, half-cocked grin portrayed proudly on his face, eyes dark. “Jesus you scared me,” I said, hand over my heart as I lightly swatted at his chest. “We don’t want that, now do we?” He said lowly, throwing his arm around my shoulders, similar to the position that Liam and Zayn were in.

Liam and Zayn, who were boyfriends. Harry was doing the same as them. Acting like a boyfriend. What even is breathing?

We went back to the same tree as yesterday, sprawling across the grass in an unorganized heap. Somehow I ended up with my head on Harry’s stomach, feet propped up on Liam’s thighs at one point. Zayn said some lame joke and we all laughed, my head moving from Harry’s stomach contracting while he laughed, a loud, braying laughter that made you want to bottle it up and listen to it at your leisure.

“Did you do what I asked you Zayn?” Harry asked, picking up my head and moving so that he was sitting up, placing my head onto his lap now.

I tried not to think about the compromising position that we were in, just closing my eyes and enjoying the sun on my face. And the fingers playing with my hair, when did they get there?

“Yep, haven’t you seen?” Zayn replied, giggling. Liam was sitting between his spread legs, leaned back against his chest with the softest of smiles on his face. “Good, Et mensus est quod non similis mei.” {I don’t like people marking what’s mine} said Harry, whose fingers were knotting themselves in my hair, fingertips grazing my scalp in the best of ways occasionally.

“What’s that mean?” I asked, looking up to Harry. “Nothing, love, I was just thanking him for giving the teacher some papers for me. Did he just call me love? I must be dreaming.

  
I realized that it had gotten quite cold despite the warm, humid morning and a shiver ran through my body, short sleeve shirt just not sufficient anymore.

“Are you cold?” Harry asked, hands stilling in my hair. “Just a little, I’m fine though,” I replied, mentally urging his fingers to resume their intricate weaving through the strands of my hair. “Hop up, you can have my jacket.” He said already shrugging the garment off of his shoulders.

“Really, I’m fine.” I insisted, really not wanting Harry to give up his jacket for me. Jesus, he was only wearing a singlet under that, he’s going to freeze.

“Put it on.” He said, holding it out as I sat up quite reluctantly from my rather warm pillow. I whined, partially from being exasperated with Harry and partly from having to move to put on the jacket I’m positive will end up on me somehow, even if he has to pin it to my shirt like a cape.

He set his jaw and looked right through me, thrusting the jacket into my chest. “Put the damn jacket on.” Without further hesitation, I slipped my arms into the warm material, having to refrain from melting on the spot.

The material was so soft and warm, smelling exactly of Harry, that earthy smell I wanted to be made into a candle. The sleeves were comically long, extended well past my fingertips and making ample sweater paws. I clapped them together, feeling a little like a seal.

“Happy now?” I asked Harry, who smiled and nodded, looking at me with an almost fond gaze. “Whipped,” Liam mumbled under his breath, earning a tossed dirt clod from Harry. Then the bell rang, interrupting our merry little gathering. I stood up slowly, stretching out all of the muscles that had cramped up after being still for an extensive period of time.

As expected, the jacket hung down quite far and looked a little like a cloak on me. We started walking back towards the main building, and I couldn’t help but notice how Harry walked extremely close to me, arms brushing mine with each stride.

As we went to walk through the door, an arm pulled me back, making Harry grab my other arm on reflex.

“Louis, I need to talk to you.” It was Ben, in all his mutilated glory. Harry glared at him and let go of my arm, murmuring that he would wait for me in the hallway.

As soon as he was out of sight, Ben drug me over to the side, up against the building and nearly in a flowerbed. “Louis, do not be hanging around with those boys. From what I’ve heard, they are bad news.”

“Who did you hear that from, your jackass friends? They are my friends, so fuck off.” I replied, pulling the jacket tighter around myself.

“Jesus, is that his jacket? God, just, be careful, Louis.”

“Whatever. Hey!” I called as he turned to walk away from me. “What happened to your eye?” He tensed up and shook his head, “Nothing. I, uh, fell.” And then he was gone. What kind of half-assed, made up, bullshit excuse was that? How exactly does one fall and manage to get a bruise in the perfect shape of a fist? Oh well, he’ll tell me eventually.

I walked into the hall, where Harry was standing, waiting. “You good?” He asked, resuming his position next to me as we made our way down the hallway. “Fine, he just needed to ask me something,” I said, blowing it off. He nodded like he wasn’t convinced, but we just kept walking, having about another minute to make it to class.

As per yesterday, Michael stepped from behind the locker, blocking our path again. Harry sighed, “What do you want Mike?”

Michael said nothing but stepped to the side, Luke walking out from behind him, cane extended and fingers loosely wrapped around Michael’s arm.

Luke patted Michael’s arm, who nodded and left, but I noticed that he didn’t get too far, watching from about 20 feet away. “Harry, I need to speak with you. Now, if you would. Louis, dear, go on to class.” I nodded, strangely afraid of this calm, even-tempered lad with the soft voice. How did he even know that I was there?

Before I could go, Harry pulled me in and whispered, “Tell Liam that I’m speaking with Luke, can you do that, please. Oh, and tell him not to come. Or text Zayn.” I had no clue what was going on, I just nodded and walked on towards class, pulling the jacket tighter around my shoulders. I’ll leave him to his secrets, everyone deserves a few.

These people are so strange, I swear to god.

When I walked in, Liam stuck his head up almost instantly, looking right towards me. After a moment, his eyebrows scrunched together and his nose twitched, looking worried. “Where’s Harry?” He asked the second I sat down, looking nearly frantic.

“Uh, he said to tell you that he’s meeting with Luke.” Liam’s eyes widened, and he immediately stood up, heading towards the door. “Um, Liam,” I called, making him stop and look back, “he also said not to come.”

Liam groaned and slowly sat back down, looking rather pained if I do say so myself. He pouted for a second, then I watched him pull his phone out of his pocket, hastily unlocking it.

“He also said not to text Zayn,” I said with a sheepish grin, playing with the edge of the jacket. He positively fumed at that, tossing his phone down onto the table and running a hand roughly through his hair. “Bastard.” He mumbled under his breath, pulling out his materials, myself doing the same.

The teacher came up to the front of the room and pulled something up on the projector, some words for us to translate in Latin and use in a sentence. I still really had no clue what I was doing, so Liam and Dylan spent the majority of the time shirking their own work and instead helped me, explaining everything in Layman's terms.

We were almost halfway through the assignment when Liam snapped his head back up, looking to the door. I followed his eyes, and moments later, Harry’s head of curled hair appeared in the window and he walked through a few moments later.

“Harry, where have you been to account for your absence?” The teacher asked, looking up from where he was helping another struggling student across the aisle of desks. I think her name was Allison. “Business,” Harry answered with a smile. The teacher nodded and resumed his work, not even writing him up.

He walked over and sat in his seat, winking at a furious looking Liam and nudging my shoulder with his own. “You understanding this yet, Lou?” He asked, reading over my work scribbled down onto the paper and completely ignoring Liam’s sinister glare. I don’t know what Harry’s done to evoke the wrath of Liam, all he did was talk with Luke, frightening as he is soft-spoken.

“A little, Dylan and Liam have been helping me,” I answered, proudly demonstrating writing a sentence with my own name. *Salve, et est nomen meum Louis.* {Hello, my name is Louis.}

Harry smiled broadly and ruffled my hair, “That’s good, Louis. You’ll be natural by the end of the week. I beamed and went back to writing, leaving Harry to deal with Liam.

“Haz, why didn’t you take Zayn or me?” He whisper-yelled, making some rather aggressive hand motions. “I had it handled. Now hush, we will talk about this later, all three of us.” Liam went to say something else, but Harry stuck up a finger, glaring Liam down. “Silence. Later.”

With muted anger, Liam held his gaze a moment later and then picked up his pencil, doing his own work.

When the bell rang, Liam stood up and stormed out of the classroom, not even saying goodbye or offering to wait for me. Whatever Harry did must have really pissed him off.

I silently packed up my books and went to go to class on my own, but Harry grabbed my bookbag and held on, making me abruptly stop and take a step or two back to regain my balance. “Can I help you?” I asked.

“Wait a minute, I’m walking with you.” He said, packing his own things up. “You have a class to get to, you don’t have to walk with me,” I replied, going to leave once more.

Again, my book bag was grabbed, bringing me to yet another stop. “I said I’m walking with you. Now stand still.” He said gruffly, shoving the final thing into his bag and standing up.

With a resigned sigh, I waited for him to take something up to the teacher and mutter something to him, leaving with a pat on his shoulder. “Come on.” He said, waiting by the door. I followed alongside him down the hallway, heading towards the gym.

Like yesterday, Zayn’s two friends passed us, minus Zayn this time. As they passed, Harry whistled and the one with the crooked jaw said, “bathroom” and kept going, getting a nod from Harry in return.

Does this whole school have its own language, or?

We were almost to the gym, and Harry stopped outside of a door marked “MEN’S ROOM.”

“Stay here,” he mumbled, pushing open the door, leaving me there like a child. If I had a right mind, I would leave him to whatever weird shit he’s got going on, but I don’t so I just stood there, looking like a child that’s lost its mother.

It couldn’t have been more than a minute passed when the door opened back up and Harry, Liam, and Zayn exited, Liam’s eyes red and cheeks puffy like he had been crying, Zayn’s hair messed up like he had been running his hand through it repeatedly, and they were all smiling.

“Let’s go to class,” Liam said, voice breaking a little bit. Zayn kissed the top of his head once more and left our group. Harry raised his eyebrow to Liam, who nodded, and then Harry left us both with a smile and a hand brushed across my shoulder.

The pair of us walked on down the hall, into the gym and then to the locker room. We changed in silence, Liam sniffing every now and then. After we had gotten changed, we walked back out into the gym and sat on the bleachers, waiting for Mr. Redmayne to come out.

He left his office after a moment, in Nike sweats and a US ARMY shirt on. “OK, guys.” He said, clapping his hands together, “I want ten laps from each of you, then I want to see the best game of flag football any of you have ever played. Get it? Got it? Good. Hit the floor boys.”

With a whistle blow, we started our laps, myself soon falling behind. One thing that I’ve noticed is that Liam is scarily fast. Like it feels as if he passes me three times in one of my laps, but when he’s finished, he’s not even out of breath. I, however, am huffing and puffing by my sixth lap, ready to die by the end of the torture. It takes all I have not to just drop to the floor and lay there for a while, maybe forever. Mr. Redmayne doesn’t waste a moment before he has us all in color-coded jerseys, a football shoved in one of the two captain’s he’s chosen’s hands. Both of the boys look like the epitome of an athlete, both with lean builds and obvious muscle.

  
“Cameron, Jake, pick your teams and play ball.” Mr. Redmayne says before going and taking a seat on the bleachers, looking on with feigned interest. I have no clue which is which, but they talked amongst themselves for a moment before one stepped forward, the one with the ball. He had dark brown hair and looked kind of Latino or something along those lines. “I want Casey,” he said, the boy he chose joining his before he stepped back.

The red-haired one stepped forwards, his skin icily pale and scarily flawless, not a blemish or freckle anywhere to be found.

He gazed across the crowd and rubbed his chin, really dragging out the whole choose and go thing. With a finger, he did ennie-Meenie-Minnie-moe, and his finger stopped on Liam, who of course was one of the first picked. “Come along Payne.” He said, grinning. Liam groaned and walked up to him stiffly, hitting his shoulder as he passed. There definitely was some tension between the two of them, that much was obvious.

The rest of the picking went on normally. I, of course, was the last person to be picked, being called over by an unenthusiastic looking redhead. He took our team over to the side of the gym and got us all huddled in, me barely squeezing in.

“What’s the plan, Cameron?” One of the boys asked, cracking his knuckles. “We’re going to whoop some ass, that’s what the plan is. Payne, you’re my QB, I’ll run it, Todd, Theo, Lance, Ian, Frank, ya’ll are my line. Jack, Hayes, Shawn, come with me. Everyone else, you can have a seat.”

Everyone else being me, I walked to the bleachers and sat down with a huff. No one ever picks me for anything.

  
The whistle blew and the ball was snapped, landing perfectly into Liam’s hands. He faked a pass to Cameron and then took off for the touchdown line, actually hurdling over another boys head. He landed perfectly on his feet over the line, earning a pat on the back from some of his teammates, Cameron just giving him a cold glare.

Liam shrugged and shoved the ball into one of the other team’s players hands, getting back in the lineup, this time attacking. Once the ball was snapped and a boy on the other team began to run it, Liam appeared out of pretty much nowhere and stuck out his arm, clothes-lining the boy, not even wavering from the heavy blow.

The boy he took out hit the floor hard, groaning upon impact. Again, the team congratulated Liam, yet Cameron’s glare grew even colder. What was it with this guy? The boys ran a few more plays, Liam playing a significant part in pretty much all of them. I wonder if he plays football? I know Zayn does, he should too.

Imagine the OTP.

  
With a bang, the door slammed open and Harry appeared, looking flustered. Liam snapped his head towards the door, completely losing focus on the play and taking a pretty hard hit. He still didn’t fall, just stumbled back a few steps and dropped the ball, shaking his head afterward.

He looked back to Harry who jerked his head towards the door, something unknown in his eyes. Without hesitating, Liam tossed the ball to Cameron and jogged out of the room, towards the locker rooms.

Before I could get up to go see what was wrong, Mr. Redmayne blew the whistle and named Cameron’s team the winner and sent us to change. I hurried down the bleachers and tossed my unused jersey into the hamper by the door, scurrying to the locker room as fast I could with actually sprinting.

When I got in there, which couldn’t have been a minute after Liam, all of his stuff was already gone and there was no sign of him, his clothes folded neatly in his locker. He must have practically teleported to get out of here that fast like I don’t think it’s humanly possible.

Something really serious must have happened. I heard the bell ring and changed my clothes, grabbing the necklace out of the locker and putting it back on, rubbing the charm between my fingers for a moment. I grabbed Harry’s jacket from the locker as well and slid it back on, I’ll give it to him in the parking lot.

As I went to leave, Cameron called for me. “Louis,” he said, then waved to me. I hesitantly walked over, not exactly eager to hold a conversation with this seemingly spiteful person.

“I see your friend left in quite a hurry.” He said nonchalantly, sliding his shirt over his head, ruffling his hair afterward. “Yeah, he ran off. I hope nothing bad happened.” I replied earnestly, shifting on my feet.

“Nothing too bad, there's just a bad moon rising.” He said, slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking out of the door. Again I will say, this place is just plain weird.

I left the room and went by my locker, taking out the book I need for some trig homework and then walked out to the parking lot. I shifted my bookbag and looked around the lot, seeing neither the Rover nor the Camaro anywhere. Most of the lot was cleared out, only a few cars, including my brothers, remained. I scanned across the lot once more and finally gave up. I’ll just give the jacket back tomorrow.


	13. Thick Crust Canines

When I opened the door of the Jeep, Ben jumped and whipped his head around, eyes wide. He calmed down when he saw it was just me, frozen halfway in the vehicle.

“Calm down, dude, for fuck’s sake. Ever since you came back from the bathroom with that bruise, you’ve been jumpy as hell. Are you sure you just fell?” Jack asked, slapping him on the shoulder, making him flinch once more.

“Y-yeah, I just fell. Just off my game today.” Ben said, cranking up the vehicle. “What game?” Jack asked, laughing loudly. Ben laughed half-heartedly and pulled out of the lot, driving home.

We got about halfway there and I kept noticing Ben looked at me through the rearview mirror, hands gripping the wheel every now and then. He finally spoke up after about ten minutes. “Hey, Louis?” He asked, making me pull the one earbud from my ear. “Yeah?”

“Do you, uh, no anyone named Troye, by any chance?” He asked, sounding nervous. I thought for a moment, not remembering that name coming up any. “Um, no, why?” “No reason. No reason at all.”

He was silent for the remainder of the trip, getting funny looks from both Jack and I. When we reached home, he got out of the car without a word and went inside, slamming the door to his shared room shut.” ”Do you know what’s wrong with him?” Jack asked, looking up the stairs where he had disappeared. I shrugged and went up the stairs myself, Jack going to the living room and commandeering the TV, probably to give Ben some space.

I threw down my books and grabbed the same bag as yesterday, putting a grey beanie on my head as well. It’s getting kind of chilly outside. I left on Harry’s jacket, I’m so taking advantage of this while I have it. Before I left, I snuck into the kitchen and threw a couple of the last slices of leftover pizza, really the only thing that I thought looked appealing to a dog in our refrigerator. I have no clue what dogs like, we’ve never had a pet for as long as I can remember.

I grabbed a bag of potato chips for myself, yelling to Jack that I was leaving before I set out for the tree once more. As I walked, I whistled along to some Arctic Monkeys songs, ducking under branches and stepping over upturned logs. Once I reached the tree, I leaned against it and pulled out the chips, humming happily to “I Wanna Be Yours.”

Within minutes, the tell-tale sounds of an approaching beast signaled me of him approaching, a limb shaking as he passed under it, coming into my vision.

“Hey!” I said as he edged closer, tail wagging. He walked right up to me, sniffing my neck before flopping down next to me, laying his head on my thigh. “Make yourself right at home, why don’t you.” I joked, rubbing one of his ears between my fingers. The fur was coarse and wiry, yet still soft to the touch, the midnight black fur a stark contrast to my icy pale skin.

He just laid there for a few moments as I hummed, tail occasionally thumping against the ground. It had to have been over twenty minutes later when he growled and picked up his head, his tail ceasing its happy movements. I held up my hands and looked around, trying to figure out what set him off.

After my second time of scanning the horizon, I saw what it was. Behind a mound of dirt were two furry heads sticking up, one the same shade as the beige wolf from this morning, the other solid chocolate brown. Moose gave one of his boofs and the two heads disappeared, Moose settling back down and resuming his tail thumping.

“Friends of yours?” I asked, twirling some of the hair on his neck around my finger. He looked up to me with those verdant green eyes, ones which shade could never be replicated. If you think about it, they almost bare a resemblance to Harry’s haunting eyes.

Moose snuffled and sat up, nosing at my bag. Oh, right, the food.

“Give me a second, I brought you some food,” I said, unzipping the bag and extracting what I had brought. “It’s pepperoni and spinach, I hope that’s okay,” I said, unwrapping the paper towel that was bound around the four slices.

You would have thought that I gave Moose the world on a platter. His eyes lit up and he licked his lips, tail waving increasing dramatically. I giggled and held out a piece, Moose taking it gingerly from my hand. He laid back down and put the pizza between his paws, tearing off pieces and chewing on them, tail never stilling.

After just a few seconds, he had that slice devoured and nosed my hand for another, eating it quickly once I gave it to him. As he finished eating, I sang quietly to “Cough Syrup,” playing with tufts of fur occasionally. Once he finished, he stood up and shook off, licking around his mouth. He leaned forward and sniffed at my jacket, whining a little.

“Oh, this is Harry’s,” I said, pulling the ends of the sleeves over my hand. Moose huffed and sat down by me like we were old Uni friends conversing on a bench in the park, not a social loser talking to a mysterious wolf-dog-thing in the middle of the woods.

“Well, you don’t know who Harry is. He’s this guy from school. He’s so nice and hot. I like him. He probably doesn’t like me, though. Like, who would?” I said with a wry laugh and burning eyes, in full self-loathing mode. Moose whined and wagged his tail, head-butting me. I laughed and rubbed my forehead, patting his nose.

“Like, he’s probably out with some pretty girls or guys at a party or something, while I’m in the woods with you. You’re cool though. Honestly one of the better friends I’ve ever had.” I continued, rubbing across his shoulders. “Harry will never like me, who would ever like a freak,” I mumbled under my breath, laying my head back against the tree.

Moose full-on barked at that and knocked me in the shoulder with his head, bowling me over. I snorted and laid there on my back. “What was that for?” I asked. He yipped and stood over me, framing my body with all four legs. He bent his head down until it was level with mine, cold nose brushing my own. Then, he swiped his wet tongue across my cheek and backed away, letting me laugh and sit up, wiping at my cheek.

  
I looked at the time, seeing it was about time for me to be heading back home. “I’ve got to go home, are you following again?” I asked, standing up and dusting off my body. With a shake of his fur, he followed after me, right by my side, fur brushing up against my body with every stride.

Once we reached my property line, he stopped at the tree-line, wagging his tail. “Thanks for talking with me. See you tomorrow.” I said, scratching his jaw as a parting gesture.

With a rumble in his chest, he turned and walked a little way into the woods, stopping behind the same tree as yesterday. I gave him a little wave and walked back onto my own property, chuckling at my own actions. I just told a wolf goodbye. I really am losing it.

I walked into the house and tried to shut the door and take off my shoes quietly, as not to attract my mother’s attention. I really do have shitty luck. “Louis, is that you?” Come in here and tell me about your day!” she called from the kitchen.

I sighed and sat my bag down before walking into the warm kitchen, forcing a smile. “Hey, mom,” I said as I sat on one of the barstools, stealing a banana from the fruit stand on the counter. “Don’t spoil your appetite, dear.” She said, giving my hand a light pop with the wooden spoon she was holding.

“How was your day?” She asked, turning back around to stir the simmering pan on the stove, turning an eye with another pot on it on. “Fine, I hung out with those three boys again, they’re really nice. They invited me to hang out with them this weekend.” I said with a smile and a faint blush, taking a bite of the banana.

“That’s nice, sweetheart, I want to meet them before you go off with them, though.” She said, not turning away from her pot. “Mom, I’m sixteen,” I whined. Like, in all honesty, I was too old for mom to have to sign off on my friends. I was a big boy, I can take care of myself.

“Exactly, you’re sixteen, not sixty. When they pick you up, I want them to come inside and introduce themselves to me. No buts.” She said, pointing at me when I opened my mouth to further protest.

“Now, whose jacket is that?” She asked, looking it over. “Harry’s,” I answered with a sheepish grin, subconsciously fiddling with the ends of the sleeves.

“Uh oh, I know that look. It was the same one that Ben and Jack had the first time they brought home girls. Is Harry one of those boys you’re hanging out with this weekend? I gave another sheepish grin and nodded, shuffling my feet against the floor. “Lord help us, already bringing home boys.” She said to herself with a smile, winking at me.

God, I love my mom. I remember being thirteen with shaky hands, spewing out that I was gay to my parents on a cold day in October, feeling like I was going to throw up. I had heard of so many kids being kicked out or even disowned by their parents for being gay, being shunned by society, killing themselves. I

had thought long and hard about this, done my research and was positive with my sexuality. The cute boy with dimples and fluffy brown hair was so much more appealing to me than the gorgeous girl with blonde curls and doe eyes.

Accidentally bumping into the prettiest girl at school didn’t make my heart race the way it did when Josh, the boy that sat in front of me in Literature’s hand brushed my own as he handed me papers to pass back, a little smile on his face. He always smiled. When Jack’s girlfriend walked half-naked into the bathroom while I was in there brushing my teeth, I was more annoyed than anything.

But when their football buddies came over after practice, sweaty and glowing, I had to physically leave the room or they’d catch me staring. I never showed any physical attraction to the female population. Sure, I appreciated that they were pretty and respectable members of society, but I never felt a physical or emotional pull towards them. I was whole-heartedly, without a doubt, entirely gay. A flaming homosexual, Sir Elton John Jr. One that has been hit with the anti-tit stick. There are many variations.

With bated breaths, I had sat my parents down on the couch and wrung my hands together, trying to think of the best way of telling them without angering them or putting them into shock. After a few minutes, my dad looked bored and my mom looked really concerned her brow wrinkling. “Are you ok, dear?” She asked, startling me.

“No, I’m gay.” Was the first thing that came out of my mouth, making me slap a hand over it. Mom sat back with a taken-aback expression on her face, and my dad set his jaw and crossed his arms, eyes hardening. “So, you’re a queer?” He asked, spitting out the last word. I physically flinched, feeling my eyes start to water.

“No, he’s a Louis, for god sakes, Mark.” My mom said, standing up and pulling me into a hug, let me just hold her and cry. “It’s ok baby, it’s ok to be different. It’s ok to be who you are.” She said, smoothing down my hair and rocking me slightly. I heard my father stomp across the floor and the door slam, making me cry even harder.

“Ignore him, Louis, he just needs a little time to understand. He still loves you.” She said, kissing me on the top of my head and pulling away, holding my shoulders while I shook with silent sobs and shudders. After a few more moments, I managed to compose myself slightly and stop the crying, wiping my nose with my sleeve.

“So,” Mom said, sitting back down and picking up her magazine. “Have any boys caught your eye?”  
The next task was telling my brothers. The two were the exact definition of Cis, all flashy muscles and smooth pickup lines, new girls every month, sometimes every week. They played the roughest sports, wore the manliest clothes, and listened to only songs real men would listen to.

We were in the car on the way to school one morning a few days later, the pair of them were talking about some football game that was on the night prior, punching each other’s shoulders and ragging on the other’s favorite team. It was either now or never, I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer.

“Ben, Jack?” I asked, tapping each of them on the shoulder. “What?” They asked in unison, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. “I, um, need to tell you two something.” “Spit it out,” Jack said, turning to look at me as Ben drove. “I’m, uh, not sure how to tell you this.” I rambled, digging around in my brain for a smooth way to tell them. “What did you do?” Ben asked, narrowing his eyes in the rearview mirror. “Oh, I didn’t do anything, I am something, though,” I said, laughing awkwardly.

“What, annoying?” Ben asked with a snort, looking back to the road. “No, gay,” I said, holding my breath afterward. There, I said it; I was out.

The two of them clammed up, neither of their faces showing emotion. It was total silence for a good two minutes, the only sounds were my short breaths and Ben’s habitual tapping on the steering wheel with his thumbs.

“I kissed a guy once.” Jack said out of nowhere, getting incredulous looks from Ben and I. “You what? Ben asked, looking as if Jack had just revealed that he massacred a small Haitian family.

“Yep. Did it for $10 dollars. Wasn’t actually that bad.” He said, playing it off as if it was nothing. Ben and I locked eyes in the rearview and he winked, letting me know it was ok. Jack’s confession was his seal of approval, I think.

“Since we’re sharing,” Ben said after a moment, “I had a threesome.” I choked on my own spit, this was a lot to take in for my thirteen-year-old self, after all. “Really? With who?” Jack asked, his interest peaked. “My girlfriend,” Ben said, drifting off at the end.

“And, who else?” Jack egged on, looking with eager eyes for the juicy details. “Yours.”

“Fuck you, Ben.”

And so goes the story of coming out to my brother’s. It ended in the two of them hating each other, not me. They got over it though, Jack stole Ben’s date to the dance and they were even. Het people, so petty.  
“Who’s bringing home guys?” Ben asked, slinking into the kitchen.

“Your brother, he’s going out with some friends. Ben, what happened to your eye?!” She exclaimed once she caught sight of him, grabbing hold of his face and inspecting the bruise.

“Nothing, I fell. Louis, are you talking about those three boys?” He asked, tugging his face from Mom’s grip. “Maybe,” I said, crossing my arms, the look really ineffective with the sweater paws I was rocking.

“I swear to god, why won’t you listen to me and find new friends?” He yelled, slamming his hand down on the counter. “Ben Tomlinson, calm down.” Mom said, stepping between us. “I’ve already told you, those three are bad news, Michael told me so!” he said, ignoring Mom.

“Oh, so we’re supposed to trust Michael, a high functioning psychopath?!” I yelled back, staring daggers. “Shut up about my friend,” Ben warned, looking over Mom’s head at me. “Then shut up about mine.” I hissed, pushing away from the bar and stomping up the stairs and into my room, closing the door with a resolute slam.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with Harry, Liam, and Zayn. Sure, they had their quirks, but everyone has those. Yeah, they were a bit peculiar and had some odd mannerisms, but I can allow them that. It’s not like they morphed into monsters or something like that, they were just people.

As I leaned against my door brooding, I heard a faint howl once again, faintly drifting through my cracked bedroom window. I walked over to the window and lifted it up some more, looking into the woods. The full moon rising slowly in the sky cast a dim glow across the landscape, the trees casting long shadows across the yard.

From one of the shadows emerged a shape, drifting in and out of the dark recesses of the woods. It was Moose, his hulking figure noticeable anywhere. He looked up to the window, locking eyes with mine. I waved to him, acknowledging him. His mouth opened and his tongue lolled out tail beginning wag.

Even from this distance, I could tell that something was off. He seemed to look like he had his hackles raised, and his eyes looked different. They weren’t their usual obvious sparkling green, instead, they looked to carry almost a red hue, but it was most likely a trick of the moonlight, the light itself reflecting from the surface.

I watched his ears pin back and his head whip around to look in the woods behind him. From the trees limped out the chocolate wolf from earlier, his gait irregular. Each step he took looked like it was painful, but he never slowed or stopped.

He walked right up to Moose and butted his head against his shoulder and then turned, flicking his tail and looking up to my window as well before making his way back into the darkness. Moose wagged his tail for a second before breaking eye contact with me, slipping back into the darkness like he was never even here.

A short chorus of howling met my ears, making me grin and walk away from the window, leaving it open. I like knowing that they’re there. That they’re real.


	14. Talk Crap Get Slapped

“Louis, come on down for supper.” My mom called, pulling me from my room. I shuffled down the stairs, hands tucked in the pockets of the jacket. Before I rounded the corner to the room, I felt something in the pocket, like a piece of paper or something of the sorts. I really wasn’t planning on being nosy with Harry’s things, but curiosity got the best of me.

I pulled out a piece of paper folded a few times over, and I unfolded it carefully. It was my picture. The one I had drawn in Chemistry yesterday. It was as I had left it, eyes still not colored in and tail missing a few hairs.

Harry must have taken it from the desk, but for what reason? Maybe he thought it was his and picked it up by accident? Maybe he was planning on giving it back to me? I don’t know, I’ll just give him the benefit of the doubt and leave it in the jacket, he can do with it as he wished, it wasn’t that good of a drawing, anyways.

After carefully tucking the photo back into the pocket, I entered the kitchen and fixed my plate before joining Mom and my brothers in the dining room, themselves already eating.

I sat down and began eating without a word, the tension almost palpable between Ben and I. We ate our meals in complete silence, no one barely even looking up from their plates.

“OK, what is going on with you two?” Mom asked after we were all just sitting back, looking at each other. “Nothing.” I said, Ben saying “Louis’ being an idiot.” At the same time. “Ben, you first,” Mom ordered, taking up her position as Judge Jay, a common figure between us siblings.

“I don’t approve of Louis’ choice of friends. The three of them are just weird, everyone seems to think so as well. They also got really close to Louis all of a sudden, like they were almost instant friends, laughing and walking him from class to class and sharing clothes like they’re old friends reunited. The Harry one is the weirdest. He hovers over Louis like a papa bear, biting off anyone who so much as looks at Louis’ head. Louis probably doesn’t even notice it, he’s too busy trying not to be noticed. Don’t even get me started on Zayn, that boy has it out for me. He just spent the entirety of today glaring at me, purposely bumping into me and stuff. The Liam kid, I don’t even know. He just floats around, looking like a cherub one minute and almost killing a guy the next. Then there’s Troye, the-”

“What the hell is Troye?” I interrupted. This is the second time that Ben has brought him up, and I honestly have no clue who he is.

“Troye is the kid that punched me! He just walked up behind me in the bathroom and tapped my shoulder, looked at me for a second, nodded, and punched the shit out of me. Then he said to “apologize to Louis,” and walked out of the room like nothing had happened.

So, I’m sorry, Louis, for whatever I did that brought about the wrath of a curly headed kid that you don’t even know who he is. That’s another thing that’s weird, everyone knows who you are, and apparently, you’re like a God.

I was behind two kids in the lunch line that were raving over your hair, and another in the hall said that they were so lucky you came to our school. Like, why do they even care about you? I don’t even think that they were in your class. I hate it here!” Ben finished his rant by kicking at the table leg, slinging it about a foot across the floor, nearly knocking over our drink glasses.

“I thought you said you fell?” Mom asked, narrowing her eyes. “Nope, I got punched by a kid that came up to my chest,” Ben said, giving a sarcastic laugh. “Are you sure that you didn’t do anything-“ “I’ve been there for two days, what could I possibly have done to piss someone off?” Ben said, cutting Mom off.

Mom sighed and let his rudeness slide, wiping her face. Jack just sat there with wide eyes, watching the argument like one would watch a tennis match or a captivating movie. “Lou, is any of this true?” Mom asked with a sigh, looking done with the whole ordeal.

“I have no clue, I just know that the boys are good to me. I don’t think I’m popular, I’ve barely spoken to anyone. I have real friends for once, that’s all I know.” I said, telling the straight up truth. “

I’ll take your word for it. Ben, if anything else violent or threatening happens, tell me or the office. Louis, be careful, that’s all I know to tell you. These three friends of yours seem to care for you, but just be wary of them for now. OK, issue resolved. The three of you go to bed now, I’m tired and ready to go to sleep myself. Goodnight, I love all of you.” She said, finalizing and sealing the argument.

We all said various versions of our farewells and got up, trudging up the stairs one after the other. Ben and Jack shut themselves in their room, so I took that as an opportunity for the first shower and made quick work of it, leaving the steamy room after only five minutes or so. The boy's door was still shut, and I could hear voices from behind it, soft words accompanied by light music flowing from under the door.

Inrolled my eyes at how secretive they were being and went into my room, hanging Harry’s jacket over the back of the desk chair neatly and sliding on some plaid pajama bottoms and a loose white t-shirt, putting the beanie back over my still-damp hair. It was still relatively early and I wasn’t tired at all, so I grabbed my headphones and a book and headed downstairs to the back porch.

Mom was gone from the kitchen and I could hear the shower running from her bathroom, so I left a quick not on the counter saying that I was on the porch and went out, making myself comfortable in a deck chair, a brought blanket thrown over my legs.

I put in my headphones and put on the AM album, picking up the book and picking up where I left off. It was a story about these teenagers that get locked in a mall during a chemical warfare attack, and they try to stay alive and help each other at the same time. It called No Safety In Numbers, I fully recommend it.

As I fell into reading the book, I became blind to everything around me. I became a character, my life in danger from this attack. I read with flitting eyes and a bitten lip, the world around me nonexistent. That was until a furry guest caught my attention from the corner of my eye.

I saw movement from the corner of my eye and looked up, taking the headphones out. In the shadow of the porch was a large wolf-shaped figure, presumably Moose. “What are you doing all the way up here? I asked, setting down my paperback. Moose never came any farther into the yard than the border of trees, preferring to stick to the shadows.

The figure eased closer, the porch lights catching his fur.

This was most definitely not Moose.

He was a deep brown color but had the oddest solid white ear. His eyes gleamed a sharp, solid green, and a jagged scar ran across his face, starting above one eye and curling around to the underside of his muzzle. He took a few thudding steps forwards until his feet were right at the base of the steps, head tilted to the side, white ear flicking.

“Um, h-hi, you’re new,” I said, not liking the way this new wolf looked at me like a piece of meat. He picked up one paw and put it on the step, making me shrink back a little bit. This one looks nowhere near as nice as Moose. Before he could move his other feet, a snarl came from the woods, drawing my attention over that direction.

A tree limb shook and then stilled, a short howl following soon afterward. I snapped my attention back to Cujo 2.0 on my step, only to discover that he was gone. In the span of a few seconds, he had silently left, nothing there to prove he was even present in the first place.

“Hello?” I called, getting nothing in return. I swear to god that my house is in the middle of a wolf sanctuary or something, either that or I’ve just gone completely mental and am conjuring these canines with my imagination. All, let me see, four of them, so far. Maybe tomorrow a unicorn will come to eat carrots from my hand.

Care for my book completely forgotten, I packed up my stuff and moved back inside, sliding the door back shut as another chilling chorus of chilling howls cut through the cool night air. In a way, the sound was beautiful. Haunting, but beautiful nonetheless.


	15. Eulogy

My sleep was restless. The realm of my dreams was filled with the howls of wolves, harmonious harbingers of terror. Each howl was accentuated by the worst creatures of the most horrifying nightmares trouncing through my psyche, creating havoc and singing their sick and twisted songs to me.

Each monster had its own grotesque smile, individual appearances, but each had one similar feature. Bright, glinting, emerald green eyes, the twinkle in their eye but a reflection of hell’s fires. Their fingers were long talons, reaching out to slice my throat, leaving me choking on my own blood, the hot liquid pooling around me and steadily rising until it was over my head, my body literally swimming in a pool of its own blood.

As I lost the fight to swim, the creatures lining the edge of the macabre pool began to laugh, the sound more on the verge of deafening than funny, the noise like that of nails on a chalkboard, paper shredding, brakes squealing to avoid disaster.

From the symphony of those enjoying my demise comes a single lonesome howl, a heartbreaking scream, mourning someone; mourning me.

I woke with erratic breathing, sweating profusely and coughing, literally terrified. I scrambled until I located the switch on my lamp, flicking it on in order to get some light into the room. You never know what could be hiding in the darkness.

With a quick glance to the alarm clock, I saw that it was only two A.M. I’d only been sleeping for about four hours, but I had been to hell and back. I took a few gulping breaths, flopping back down upon my pillows with wide eyes. After a few moments of just laying there, paralyzed by fear, my breathing had slowed and my heart was beating at a semi-normal pace, so I closed my eyes and attempted to find sleep once more.

After what seemed like hours, I finally gave way to the sleep once again, unconsciousness washing over me like a wave of complete darkness. I slept, but not peacefully. The creatures had been laid to rest in my mind, their terrorizing escapades ceased for the night, but those glowing green eyes were still there, watching me from every angle, the emerald orbs drawing me in, torturing me.

This was it.

This was my boogey monster. It came in the form of a pair of captivating eyes, watching me drown. Letting me drown, no remorse in its gaze. It never heard the “help me.”


	16. Solitary Confinement

The next morning I woke up late, bleary-eyed and completely exhausted, mentally and physically. With fumbling fingers, I slid on a pair of joggers and a t-shirt, barely remembering to grab Harry’s jacket before stumbling to the door and down the stairs, egged on by the calls of my impatient brothers. It’s not my fault that they didn’t wake me up per usual.

I got a pat on the back and an Eggo waffle from my mother as I rushed through the kitchen, barely present in the realm of the living.

As I climbed into the car and slumped in the seat, I noticed something. This morning, there was no wolf outside, no mysterious glimpses of fur in my peripheral view, nothing but a few chirping birds and an annoying squirrel. Our ride was silent, the tension still too palpable to play off. As we reached the school, they each got out of the vehicle and walked side-by-side into the building, not even so much as a wave in my direction.

I looked around once I climbed out, but I didn’t see either of the vehicles once more. There was no Liam hysterically waving to me from across the lot, nor a brooding Harry hunched over his phone or just staring into the distance, looking like someone wiser beyond their years. Maybe they’re just late.

I walked alone into the school, jacket slung over my shoulder. When I stopped by my locker, I noticed that I didn’t have Michael pass by with his pack of friends, cutting glares at me and whispering. An over-rambunctious Niall didn’t make a surprise appearance with his beloved Hailee in tow, who really looked overwhelmed, in my opinion.

All was normal, all was calm.

It wasn’t right.

I continued on into Chemistry, figuring that I would just meet up with Harry in there. The bell rang and the teacher began class, but no sight of the boy. She assigned some class work that I had already done, so I bunched up Harry’s jacket and got a nap in, a good thirty-minute snooze that helped tremendously with my virtually dead brain.

I burrowed my face down into the soft material, breathing in deeply the earthy, fresh scent that was Harry. The scent wreathed around me and pulled me into a peaceful sleep, the green eyes themselves closed in slumber. I woke awoken by the bell, a shrill sound that jolted me awake, embarrassingly so.

I heard a few snickers from those around me as I wiped my drool-crusted mouth and ruffled my beyond-saving hair, standing up with a muscle-twitching stretch, mouth open in an extreme yawn. I sighed and picked up my bookbag once more, floating alone down the hallway English. The first thing I noticed was the silence. There was no yammering Niall running up to me to ramble about something completely irrelevant to the situation at hand, attention being snatched up mid-sentence by some other person or thing. In fact, the class was 70% vacant.

I did notice, however, that the boy Cameron from PE yesterday was in here. I never noticed him before. He sat two rows to my left, fluorescent red hair brushed to the side, skin just as icy pale as ever. Like he knew I was looking, he turned his head to meet my gaze, his lips twitching up into a little smile, like that of the Grinch.

I ignored Cameron and opened my textbook, opening to the pages full of Longfellow’s poems, my work cut out for me with the extensive study guide. I had to figure out the meter of each poem, along with identifying whether it was a Petrarchan sonnet or not, grouping the octaves and sestets, locating and identifying the various figures of speech, it was all just very time-consuming.

Most of the poems were iambic pentameter and the meter was easy to decipher, but some had caesuras that just ruined the flow of the line completely. I had just completed the guide when the bell rang, one of only a few to complete it I noticed, and turned it into the teacher with a quick smile, heading to Trig with my head down and hurried steps.

I saw when I walked by them that Ben and Jack were alone as well, walking together and talking quietly amongst themselves. I raised an eyebrow to the pair of them, but neither acknowledged me, just glared as they passed in creepy synchronicity. Screw them.

As I walked into class and got the handout from the teacher at the door, he recently began referring to me as his favorite student, which tells you something about the other students; there was no scary goth man-sasquatch sitting in the back, ready to harass me. Also, Liam still wasn’t here and it kind of bummed me out. He was so nice. I really wish that I had gotten the boys numbers, I can’t even text to see if they’re ok.

The work today was so simple, ten problems that a fourth grader could have figured out. I don’t even think that it could really be classified as trig, it was verging more on the edge of statistics. Once turned in, I laid my head back down on the desk and got in another nap, 25 minutes of greatness. The bell dismissed me and I headed towards the lunchroom but realized something halfway there.   
Where the hell am I supposed to sit? I could either fight for a seat in the lunchroom and be turned away most likely, or I could go sit outside under the tree by myself as a loser. I’m gonna go with being alone.

With shuffled feet I walked to the tree, eyes glued to the ground. When I got there, I pulled out a piece of paper and my colored pencils and popped in my headphone, clicking on my drawing playlist. Ed Sheeran began pouring through the speakers, and I started on my project.

With careful strokes I sculpted the shape, the pupil dilated and lashes framing the eye. With the colored pencil, I shaded the rim of the eye, soft skin tones and pink hues around the tear duct, spider veins on the surface of the eye barely discernible. The iris was a striking color, verdant and piercing. As I drew, I sang along to each song: Castle on a Hill, Colors, Youth, Flawless, the list goes on.

With a final stroke of the pencil, I was done. It was the eye in all it’s terrifying glory. It seemed real like it would blink at any moment. I stared it down, looking at every detail. I had seen this eye somewhere, I just can’t place it. The timer on my phone went off, letting me know it was time for the bell. I tucked the paper carefully into my bag and stood up, tucking the phone into the waistband of my joggers.

I made it inside right before the bell rang, avoiding the tide of people. I was I front of the Latin room door before anyone else, waiting on the teacher to come and open it. After a few minutes, there were a handful of people lined up behind me, still waiting on Mr. Grimshaw to show up.

Almost five more minutes had passed before a lady rounded the corner, I think it was the one from the office, with a key, and opened the door for us, saying that she was to watch us for the class, as the teacher called in sick last minute.

We all went to our table, and it was then that I realized Dylan’s absence as well. Well, looks like I’m bound to be all alone today. As like my other classes, I got a nice nap out of the ordeal, My wake up was the lady shaking my shoulder, looking bored. “Come on, the class is over.” She said, walking to the door and waiting for me to leave so she could shut it back.

I apologized quietly and hurried to class, trying to beat the late bell. We only had five minutes after the second bell to get dressed, and Mr. Redmayne simply despises tardiness. I bypassed cutting through the gym at all and went straight into the locker room, getting ready at lightning speed. I took the necklace off and hung it on the hook in the locker, admiring it for a second before slamming the locker shut and rushing into the gym, where everyone else was already seated on the bleachers awaiting Mr. Redmayne’s instructions.

As I slipped into the gym and walked across the floor to everyone else, they all watched me, making me more self-conscious than ever. I tugged on my shirt and fixed my hair repeatedly, probably drawing more attention to myself that way than just being nonchalant.  
“Louis, thank you for joining us, take a seat.” Mr. Redmayne boomed, almost making me squeak and I sat down as fast as I could, I think I bruised my tailbone.

There were scattered giggles and comments across the small sea of boys, and I never wanted to disappear more at that very moment. “Now that everyone’s here, let’s talk about what we’re doing today. I want five laps around the gym from each of you, one of regular running, one of high knees, half a lap of lunges, half of high kicks, and two of karaoke. After that, you’re free to play a pick-up game of basketball, soccer, football, or you can go and change. Get it, got, go.”

We all set off, me lurking at the back of the pack. “Keep up, babe,” Cameron whispered into my ear as he passed, getting an incredulous look in return. Where did “babe” come from? Once we finished those five laps of pure torture, which I’m sure I looked like a floundering seal while doing, I left the mass of boys clambering for the basketball and changed back into my normal clothes, throwing the gym clothes into my bookbag for my mother to wash tonight.

I slipped the necklace back on, grabbed Harry’s jacket, and shut the locker, turning around to be met by a broad chest in my face. “Hello, dear,” Cameron said with a wicked grin, crowding me up against the locker. “H-Hi.” I squeaked, trying to edge away from his pressing body. “It’s a pity your guard-dogs aren’t here, that would make this more interesting.” He purred, bracketing his arms around my body to keep me in.

“Make what more interesting?” I asked, voice wavering. “Oh, nothing. Have you seen a wolf?” He asked rather bluntly. “Nope. Well, maybe.” “Excellent. Ta-Ta for now."

And then he was gone, whirling out of the room with a flourish. Weirdo. 

The bell rang and knocked me out of my stupor, so I hastened out of the locker room before the rest of the boys got in there, Harry’s jacket clutched between my fingers. I swung by my locker quickly and deposited all of my books and binders, then headed out to my locker to wait on Ben and Jack.

For once they were late to the car, ambling up about ten minutes after the bell rang, the majority of students already gone. I sat on the hood of the locked car, playing some dumb game called Color Switch, but in all honesty, I was captivated by the pointless game.

“Get off our fucking car,” Jack said, slapping my leg as they walked by. I feebly kicked at his passing figure and hopped down, climbing in behind him.

“Where have you two been?” I asked, already pulling out my headphones for the ride home. “Gym, they were reminding everyone interested that Football tryouts were on Monday. Your little friend wasn’t there, I thought he was supposed to be some big shot QB.” Ben said, sarcastic as shit about Zayn.

“Well, neither was your friend, so I guess you’ll have to wait and see how shitty of a spot you’ll get- if any.” I retorted, hitting the back of Ben’s seat. “Asshole.” He mumbled under his breath.

“Say it a bit louder, I couldn’t hear you,” I said, sticking my head up between the pair of them. Ben made like he was going to smack me in the face, but stopped at the last second and put his hand down, tensing his jaw. “That’s what I thought.” I sat back with a triumphant smile and put on some Melanie, mouthing along to Pacify Her.


	17. Defeat the Hun

When we got home, Ben and Jack went out to the garage to do “manly stuff,” like lift weights and look at their reflections in the mirror. When I went inside to grab my customary bag of food and then leave, Mom was sitting in the kitchen, working on some bills.

“Hey dear.” She said as I barreled in, slowing down once I saw her. “Hey, I thought you had work,” I said, trying to slip a banana or three into my bag without her noticing, smiling awkwardly. “Yea, but I get off early on Wednesday’s, remember?”

“Oh, right. Well, I’ll be off now, going to the woods.” I said, easing my way to the back door. “Lou, why are you spending so much time out there? You hate nature.” She asked, taking off her glasses and setting them down.

“It’s, uh, peaceful. Birds and all that.”

“You sure you’re ok, though? Haven’t seen any more wolves, have you?” She teased, sticking out the corner of her tongue as she smiled, something we all got from her.

“Nope, no more wolves. Bye, mom gotta go!” I yelled in a probably high pitched voice, running out of the door like a bat out of hell. Really calm, cool, and collected, Louis.

I shrugged the bag onto my shoulder and walked towards the tree line, humming an X Ambassadors song. “Where are you going, Lewis?” Jack called from where he and Ben were flipping a tire in the side yard, where did they even get a tire that big in five minutes? Apparently, it was my destiny to not get to see Moose today, the way everyone is bound and determined to hold me up.

“Places in life, unlike you two losers,” I called, flipping them the finger as I continued on my merry way. “Whatever you say, Lewis, whatever you say ” Jack replied with a chuckle, grunts following afterward. They weren’t too hung up on my rather excellent burn.

I walked through the woods quickly, the route pretty much memorized. Over the fallen stump, around the dead raccoon carcass, oh that’s new, through these brambles, and I’m at the tree. I must have been late today because Moose was already there, his mammoth body strewn out on the ground absorbing the sun rays filtering through the treetops.

“Hey,” I said quietly, not wanting to startle him. He picked up his head and looked to me, tongue lolling out sideways from his awkward position. His tail thumped against the ground a few more times and he laid his head back down, rolling over instead to face me.

“You tired?” I asked with a giggle, getting a low “woof.” “Me too,” I said, setting down the stuff and sitting criss-cross by his head. “Banana?” He perked up at that, taking half out it gently between his teeth.

With loud smacks, he devoured it and licked his lips, whining a bit and looking to me for more. “You just use me for the food, don’t you,” I teased, giving him the other half of banana, munching on one of my own. He huffed and rolled over again, plopping his head in my lap. “God, you weigh a lot,” I said, scratching his ear.

As I scratched him and hummed, his eyes became half-lidded, tail occasionally moving. “You seem like you could keep a secret,” I said, scratching along his jaw. His ears perked up, and he looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

I swear to God this wolf knows exactly what I’m saying. Ben and Jack should take some notes from him.

“I think I like someone. He’s really nice, and he’s hot. Like, really hot.” With a sigh, Moose sat up and looked into the trees, paw hitting against the ground every now and again. “I’m boring you, aren’t I? Oh well, I don’t think you understand me anyway. But, even his name is perfect.”

Moose, I swear to God, he rolled his eyes and huffed, flopping dramatically onto his side. “Don’t get sassy. You must be a teenager in dog years. Anyways, his name is Harry Styles, isn’t that just some type of fairytale name?” I said his name in a sing-song voice, thinking about his rare, dazzling smile.

I was shaken from my Harry-induced daydream by being pounced by a mass of black fur, pinned on my back. He barked in my face and licked my cheek, nosing at my neck. “You like the name, too?” I asked with a laugh, wiping my cheek with my forearm.

He whined and completely laid down on top of me, head resting on my chest. “You’re gonna squish me.” I wheezed, patting his back. He didn’t move, just laid there with eyes staring right into mine. I let him adjust himself, my chest no longer feeling like it was being crushed.

“But, the thing is,” I said, resuming my absent-minded scratching, “I don’t know if he likes me,” Moose whined low in his throat and bumped his nose against my chin, ears flattened. “Like, he wasn’t at school today and I was worried about him, and I didn’t even have his number to check on him. If he liked me, he would have given me his number, right? And he’s hot, he probably already has a girlfriend.” I said dejectedly, staring up at the guy.

Moose wrinkled his nose and grumbled a little bit like he had eaten something sour. “Or boyfriend, you’re right. No one likes a loser like me, though.” Moose whined and thumped his tail against my leg. “Thanks for the support, Moose. Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you that your name is Moose. Well, at least that’s what I call you.”

Moose put his nose in the crease of my neck and snuffled, making me laugh and gently bat his head away. “Everything’s been weird since I got here. First, I actually made friends, and now creepy Cameron has it out for me.” Moose perked his head up and looked at me, the sniffed at my neck a lot, making me, giggle and scrunch up, trying to get the wet, cold, tickling feeling to go away.

“Stop that Moose,” I said, pulling gently on the fur of his neck. He growled lightly, making me let go and drop my arms, allowing him to snuffle as he pleased. He rubbed his head against my cheek, brushing almost the entirety of his body against mine, winding around me a few times.

After a minute or two of his precise, tedious ritual, he sniffed me once more and licked my cheek, tail resuming wagging. “Are you happy again?” He yipped and laid back down by me, head in my lap. We sat there for a minute, my fingers tangled in the thick mane of fur around his neck, his soft breaths hitting my thigh in intermittent puffs.

“I’m tired,” I said, stifling a yawn. He looked up at me and sighed, rolling his head off of my lap and stretching out on the ground next to me. I looked at the time, seeing I still had two and a half hours until I had to be back home. I set an alarm and tucked my phone in my pocket, grabbing my bag and attempting to make it into a makeshift pillow of sorts. The damn thing was lumpy as hell and offered virtually no cushion from the hard ground below.

I looked over with an exasperated sigh to Moose, who was laid out in all his soft, furry glory. He looked comfortable. “You have built-in cushioning,” I said offhandedly, playing with one of his behemoth feet. He looked at me and wagged his tail, tongue lolling.

I finally beat the bag into a semi-suitable pillow, and flopped down, throwing an arm across my eyes. I drifted off to the sound of his breaths and birds in the trees, one of my hands playing with the feathery fur on his leg.

When I woke, I was on the world’s softest pillow. When did I get this one in my room? And why was it moving? Why was my bed really hard, though?

I opened my eyes with a mammoth yawn, opening my eyes to see the last ray of sun filtering down onto my face, the waning moon just beginning to make its appearance. As I reached into my pocket to turn off the beeping alarm, my pillow gave a big sigh and sneezed, jolting some.

Somehow in my sleep, I ended up with my head on Moose’s stomach, which was by far the best sleeping arrangement I’ve ever had. “Hey, Moose,” I said as I sat up, ruffling his fur. He beat his tail against the ground and rolled onto his back, all four limbs up in the air, head turned at a comical angle, tongue peeking out from between his teeth.

“You look hilarious,” I said, holding back a fit of giggles. He gave a deep “woof” and kicked one of his back legs, looking at me with bright, eager eyes. “You want me to rub your stomach?” He barked again and wiggled, tail frantically waving. I laughed and obliged, rubbing his stomach, moving around until I found the spot on the very back right side of his stomach that made his leg kick a mile a minute.

“Silly,” I said, finally moving my hand, allowing him to roll back to his feet and stand up, shaking the debris from his fur. As I uncrumpled my bag, there was a rustling in the leaves near us, and Moose froze, staring into the trees. There was another small noise and he huffed, flicking his tail in the general direction. Must have been one of his friends.

“I’ve got to go back home,” I informed him, rising to my feet as well. “Come on.” We set off together once more, moving in tandem through the darkening woods. “Maybe Harry likes me too,” I said to myself, deciding to think optimistically. For all I know, Harry could be gay as a biscuit and think that I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread, but in all reality, I’m probably a pale potato he took under his wing to get brownie points for being a good person or something.

Moose yipped and bumped against me, flicking me with his tail. “You agree?” I said with a laugh, trailing a hand down his back. We finally got to the border with my yard and Moose held back, staying in the shadows per usual. “Goodnight. See you tomorrow.” I said, giving him a wave and walking to the porch, turning back around to see just two eyes picking up light from the porch, the rest of him melting into the shadows. I know he’s still there, though.

When I walked into the house there was a crock-pot on the counter, steam rising from it. I shed my coat and shoes at the door, rapping on my mom’s bedroom door as I walked by. “I’m home!” “Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes!” I acknowledged her and ran up the stairs, into my room.

As I pulled up my laptop to check my Tumblr, I got to thinking. Moose had been acting very odd tonight, just not like himself. He seemed clingy, and he kept doing that incessant wet-nose sniffing thing, which was annoying yet endearing at the same time.

When I opened the internet browser, I went to Google instead of Tumblr and typed in “why do dogs sniff your neck?” The first result was a for a dog behavioral website, so I clicked on that and waited for the page to load. The picture on the page was of a dog with their head in the crook of their owner’s neck, big brown eyes looking right at the camera lens.

In bold letter across the top was **“Why your neck?”** Below it was a few paragraphs, and I started to skim through those. Apparently something about necks being a hot spot for these good smelling pheromones that can trigger output of oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin and make animals feels attracted to one another, even in humans sometimes, though our modern soaps basically strip you of your natural scent. Dogs are very territorial and will rub themselves along your neck and body to spread their scent onto you, as well as to pick up your scent.

So, Moose was scent marking me, basically. That’s sort of endearing. Also, he was grumpy this afternoon. I get that he’s a canine, but he had such a temper. I will swear until the day that I die that a wolf rolled their eyes at me and huffed, like a teenager just put on restriction. Not that I would ever know what that’s like, I’m an angel.

Now that I think about it, I’ve noticed the boys doing that weird neck thing, like they’re dogs or something. And they’re really territorial. Really, they possess a lot of canine-like mannerisms and features, especially Liam. He looks like a literal puppy.

Odd.

Mom yelled from downstairs that supper was ready so I closed out the tabs and locked the laptop, heading down the stairs to get to the food before my surely ravenous brothers. They pretty much eat everything after a work-out, like they haven’t eaten for weeks.

Sure enough, as soon as I got a plate of the pork loin, they barreled in and raided the kitchen, coming into the dining room with plates high of food, some of which wasn’t even what Mom had cooked, and they were each sweaty and nasty, two things I tried desperately to avoid. When they sat, they dug in, shoveling in the plated food like I was going to take it from them.

“Manners would be nice.” Mom chided, neatly picking apart her food and consuming it in decent sized bites. The boys wiped their mouths and went from eating like barbarians to civilized barbarians, with actual utensils instead of their grimy and crusty fingertips. “How nice,” I said under my breath, taking a bite of my roll.

“Hey Louis,” Ben said with a burp, “who were you talking to earlier?” I swallowed thickly and took a sip of water, trying to look disinterested. I’m sure that would go over well, “Yeah, fam, I was talking to a massive wolf-dog thing, we’re friends.” They would either laugh in my face or zip me up in a straight jacket and cart me off to the nearest loony bin. Most likely the latter.

“Oh, no one. My phone.” I said, suppressing the urge to gnaw on my lip, a dirty habit that was a dead giveaway whenever I was lying. “You didn’t have your phone out,” Jack said flatly, taking a swig of his deadly protein shake concoction that shouldn’t be suitable for human consumption.

“Uh, then I was talking to myself.” “Right.” Ben deadpanned, rolling his eyes and sharing a look with Jack. Mom sighed and finished her food, wiping the corners of her mouth before standing up and heading towards the kitchen, never saying another word. I scarfed down the last few forkfuls and followed after her, ready to go to bed still tired despite my schedule of pretty much just naps today.

Before I could leave out of the kitchen, Mom called me back over to the sink where she was washing up some dishes, bangs falling into her eyes. “Yeah?” I asked, bouncing on the balls of my feet, eager to take a shower before Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. “Are you okay?” She asked after a moment, looking at me and blowing the bangs out of her face.

“Wh-What do you mean, I’m perfectly fine.” I was nervous, the last time Mom started a conversation like that was after my dad had left and I clammed up, and the only answer I gave her then was a slammed bedroom door in her face, one of the things I will forever feel guilty for. I will never forget her completely broken look, drained and bleak, but she still checked on us, and I just slammed the door shut without a word, too prideful to say that the split was almost more than I could handle.

“Louis, you know what I mean,” she leveled me with her gaze, “I know what your behavior as of recent means, I’ve seen it before. You’re distancing yourself, making up excuses to leave and then staying away for as long as you can. It’s the same as when your father left, instead, now you go to the woods instead of your room, for some reason. You’ve also been rather hostile as of late with your brothers. They’re worried too, you know.”

I snorted at that, “Then why did Ben shove me hard enough to leave a huge bruise the other day? And I’m not acting weird, I just am weird. Trust me, I’m better than ever.” With that, I kissed her cheek and left before she could press me farther, knowing that I would crack if she did so. Then she’d probably say I couldn’t go back into the woods or she’s trying to send me to counseling again, which didn’t work out too well that first time. Let’s just say that therapists and I don’t get along too well.

I rushed up the stairs and into the bathroom, locking the door behind myself. As I stood under the hot water, the steam clearing my head, my thoughts drifted over to Harry, more specifically Harry’s smile. I had only seen it once or twice, and if you blink you miss it. He seems to be more of a no-nonsense type of person, all business with very little leeway.

When he smiled, his deep red lips, those things cannot possibly be that shade naturally, parted and his little teeth peeked out, a perfect line of sharp, white teeth. If you looked closely enough, you could see his tongue peeked out from between his clenched teeth, a teasing factor to his break in façade.

As he smiled, his eyes crinkled up and his nose did the slightest of scrunches, like a kitten mid-yawn. As soon as the moment was over, the smile was gone and back was the cold expression he usually wore, mouth in a straight line and features stiff. But if you looked into his eyes, you got the gist of what was going on inside of his brain. Eyes are the windows to the soul, after all.

When a friend walked into his field of vision, his eyes seemed to lighten, a happier vibe to them. When he studied, his eyebrows furrowed just the tiniest amount, his eyes scanning the page, flickering from word to word and line to line.

When he argued or talked with Michael or Luke, his eyes seemed to harden, the gleaming green eyes reducing themselves to stormy, frothy seas of emotion, a stagnant hue developing. His eyes said so much.

I probably sound like a stalker right about now. Like, I’ve only known the boy for three days and I know how he looks during every emotion, what triggers him, I’m like a fanboy. A completely smitten, hopelessly gone fanboy, even with all of his quirks.

With Harry on my mind, I reached up and rubbed the necklace between my fingers, following the outline of the wing with my pruning fingertips. Harry always got this shining, bright look when he saw it like it had made his entire day. He got that same look when I talked to him, too.

I grinned at the thought of him being happy to see me, then batted the concept away as soon as it sneaked into my psyche. Judging by the steam covering the mirror and the significant prune of my skin, I’ve been in here long enough. I shut off the water and toweled myself off, wrapping the said towel around my waist to walk to my room.

As I walked out, Ben and Jack’s door opened and Ben walked out, avoiding catching my eye as he passed. Since the whole black eye incident, he hasn’t been super friendly towards me. I still have absolutely no idea who Troye is or why he would punch my brother, especially on my behalf.

But, as Ben said, apparently I’m hot shit to some people and I don’t even know it. Maybe he was defending my honor. Shut up Louis, now you have Let’s Get Down to Business in your head. Now is not the time to defeat the Hun.

Once I got into my room and put on clothes, I did my customary window check. Sure enough, Moose was sitting in the edge of the shadows, looking up to my window. I gave a little whistle and a wave, mentally telling him goodnight. He rose to his feet and left, almost like saying he was finished with his job.

That is if his job is lurking around my house. I smiled and took off the necklace, setting it on top of the dresser to be put back on in the morning. Once I turned off the light and stumbled into the bed, snuggling under the down comforter, sleep found me easily. For tonight, the green eye kept its distance.


	18. Cold As Ice (But I Have Harry's Jacket So Suck On That)

I woke up early on my own, around six as opposed to my usual 7:15. The sun was just beginning to peak over the trees, the sky a breath-taking rose gold color as the day met the night.

I yawned and rolled from the bed, shuffling to the bathroom with morning breath and hair plastered to my forehead. I used the bathroom and got rid of that morning breath first thing, the decided on waiting to actually get ready and stumbled down the stairs, eyes fighting to adjust to the light illuminating the staircase and impending kitchen.

“Well good morning, sleeping beauty,” My mom said from the counter where she was hovering over a cup of steaming coffee and the New York Times crossword puzzle, hair swept back in a messy bun and pencil spinning between her fingertips. I always thought my mom looked prettiest in the morning.

“Morning,” I grumbled as I popped some water and a tea bag into the microwave, going ahead and getting out the milk and sugar as it heated. “Sleep okay?” She asked, not taking her eyes off of the half-completed puzzle.

I hummed my response and pulled the hot drink from the beeping machine, mixing it together quickly and putting everything back where it went. “’ M going on the porch,” I said with a rasp, sliding open the porch door. I walked out onto the deck and took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, holding the steaming mug between my fingers. This is like a Folgers commercial or something.

I smiled and took a sip of the scalding beverage, cringing a little as the tip of my tongue got burnt. I looked to where I knew the wolves hung out, and sure enough, there were a tan set of ears poking up from the foliage, low enough that it was probably laying down. It’s official, I’m no longer Louis Tomlinson, I am Caesar Milan with all of these dogs that I’m attracting.

I walked off of the porch and curled my toes in the cool, damp grass, the wetness seeping between my toes. I plodded over to where I could see all of him, curled up with his tail flicked over his nose. With each breath, the fine hairs on his tail fluttered.

  
“Hi,” I said, making his ears shoot up along with his head, eyes snapping open. He sat up quickly, like he was caught sleeping on the job or something, or like he was going to run. “Shhh, don’t run. I‘m not going to hurt you.” I said, sitting down on the ground gently, ignoring the way the drying grass soaked through my pants the slightest bit.

He sat there looking right at me, nose twitching. I smiled and took another sip of tea, warming my hands around the mug. “Do you know Moose?” He cocked his head to the side like I was speaking gibberish, which I probably was to him. Oh well, I’ll just keep talking and pretends that he has a clue what I’m saying.

“Y’know, big, black, grr,” I said, holding out my arms for size reference. The new wolf thumped his tail against the ground a few times, we’ll pretend that that’s a confirmation.

“You’re pretty, where did you come from?” I asked, looking over his glossy coat and bright hazel eyes, such a contrast from Moose’s green ones. “You were the one with the brown wolf the other day,” I said with finality, deciding that that was indeed him.

At the mention of the brown wolf, his tongue lolled out and his tail thudded, that must be his friend. Who am I kidding, he has no clue who I’m talking about, or what I’m talking about.

“Louis, who are you talking to?” My mom called from the porch, I could see her looking over to me with furrowed brows. I turned my head to her, “No one, Mom!” When I looked back, the new wolf was gone, only the patch of bedded down grass and leaves proving that he was ever there. “Absolutely no one.”

I stood up and dusted the grass clippings from my butt, giving the woods one last look. I walked onto the porch by my mother, who gave me a concerned look. “I was just talking to nature, it’s a pretty day,” I said, brushing by her before she could question me any farther. I dumped my now empty mug into the sink and went up the stairs, to my room to get changed.

I found a black and white baseball tee in the back of my closet and decided on that, black jeans, and some high top black converse. After donning that and my necklace, I ambled over to my mirror to do something with my rather atrocious hair, which apparently had been nested in by a small family of chipmunks overnight. With just the right amount of swearing, product, and prayer, I got it into a sturdy quiff, instead of the monstrosity of a fringe it usually tried to take the shape of. “

Louis, it’s time to get- oh you’re up,” Jack said dumbly, standing in my doorway with just boxers on. “Observant this morning, aren’t we?” I asked, smoothing my hair once more. He groaned and stomped off, the slam of a door accompanied with a little squeak signaling that he had entered the bathroom, the door of which was in desperate need of a good dosage of WD-40.

I killed time on my phone until Ben rapped at my door in passing and hollered that it was time to go, so I grabbed my bag and Harry’s jacket, skipping down the stairs after my brothers. “Bye Mom!” We all called as we headed to the car, a word not spoken between just the three of us.

My headphones forgotten on my bedside table, I drummed on my thigh, humming along quietly to Hurricane as it played on the radio. Once we reached school, I climbed out and was immediately mobbed by Liam, who pulled me into a hug that was a little less than vice-like. “Hey, buddy.” He said, hooking his chin on my shoulder.

“Hi,” I said, surprised by the sudden onslaught of affection. “We’ll leave you to your friend,” Ben said, his lip curling slightly, the tiniest bit of disdain lacing his words. Liam must have picked up on it and cocked his head, staring at Ben.

They locked gazes for a tense few seconds and then he looked behind Liam and me, drawing his upper lip between his teeth before turning and leaving, Jack following like a lost puppy. When I turned around, Zayn standing there, watching Ben’s receding figure. That explains the change of heart. Zayn could be quite menacing when he wanted to be.

“Hey, you two,” Zayn said, bumping my shoulder and giving Liam a kiss, pulling him under his arm afterward. I waved at him and checked my phone, seeing we still had 15 minutes before class.

“Where’s Harry?” I asked casually, clutching his jacket tighter in my fingers. Liam gave Zayn a knowing glance and looked back to me, a smile briefly ghosting across his features. “He’ll be here.” He said, glancing around.

I nodded and walked behind the pair as we entered the school, hallway teeming with chatting students and coffee-baring staff. We were almost to the lockers when Zayn stopped in his tracks and tilted his head.

Before I could ask what was wrong, Michael appeared beside me, hands in his pockets and head down, jaw steadily flexing. “Liam.” He said, voice gruff and emotionless. Liam rolled his eyes and turned around, face deadpan. “What, Michael?” He bit out sharply, a condescending tone that would repel 90% of people it was used on.

“You left this in the car,” Michael said, pulling a phone from his pocket, headphones tangled around it. Liam snatched it from his hand and shoved it in his own back pocket, continuing to glare at Michael. Without another word, Michael left, fits clenching. Liam stared him down, breaking focus once Zayn’s hand ghosted over his shoulder.

“Why was your phone in Michael’s car?” I asked, confused. I thought that Liam hated him, why would he be in the same vehicle?

“I’m sure you leave things in your brother’s car all of the time.” He said curtly, visibly peeved. Hold up, did he say, brother? “You and Michael are brothers?” I asked, incredulous of the circumstances. “Indeed.” He murmured, eyes looking straight ahead. That is one plot twist I definitely wasn’t expecting.

As I dug through my locker, Zayn and Liam stood off to the side whispering quietly, inaudible to anyone passing by. After rearranging the necessary books in my bag, I shut the locker, jumping when Harry was leaned up against the locker behind the door. “Why so jumpy?” He asked, eyes dark.

“You startled me.”

“I know, just wanted you to admit it,” He said, brushing up against me as he passed, heading over to Zayn and Liam. He shared a few words with them, then looked back at me and motioned for me to come over.

I have no clue how he was not freezing in a tank top and hole-ridden jeans, combat boots falling apart as well. I was about to freeze to death and I was almost completely covered. I held out his jacket to him, “Here, you left without this the other day,” I said, scuffing my feet on the floor.

He took it from my hand, looking at before handing it back. “Put it on, you’re cold.” He said, looking me up and down. “No, I’m not.” I lied, not wanting him to feel like he has to give me his jacket. He had to be cold.

“Yes, you are. Put it on.” His tone left no room for denial, jaw ticking as he stared me down. I quietly gave my thanks and sat my bag down, sliding the soft leather back over my shoulders.

“Good boy,” Harry said softly, gnawing on his lip some as he looked at me. Here comes the fuzzy feeling again.

“Come on Romeo and Juliet, we’ll be late for class,” Zayn said, pulling both Harry and I’s attention from the other. We both coughed and separated, breaking our gaze and smiling as Zayn looked between us knowingly.

We parted at the junction of the hallways, Zayn and Liam went one-way hand in hand, while Harry and I walked side by side to our room, catching the other looking over every now and again, small smiles on our lips.

When we walked in the chemistry room and sat down, we just sat there in silence, but it was one of those comfortable silences, the kind where the other is just there. After a moment, before the bell rang, Harry held out his hand. “Hand me your phone.”

“My phone? Why?” I asked, pulling it from my back pocket anyway.

“So I can steal your identity. Louis, I want to give you my number. I should have given it to you by now,” He said, taking it from my hand after I unlocked it. While he put in his number, I internally rioted, about five seconds from imploding in my seat.

“Here, I put Zayn and Liam’s in as well.” He said, handing back over the device. “And I texted myself so I’d have your number. By the way, cute home screen.” He said with a wink, making me blush when I remembered what it was. It was from my sixteenth birthday party, Jack had taken the picture right after Mom smashed a piece of cake in my face, leaving a heap of icing and cake on my cheek and in my hair. I was smiling manically and you could tell I was laughing, my mom was cracking up in the background, hands clasped together.

Harry’s phone dinged and he pulled it out, setting my contact quickly as “Lou.”

“So, do you want to go out on the town tomorrow?” He asked, sending a few texts. “Uh, sure, that should work,” I said, mentally checking my nonexistent schedule.

“Ok, we’ll pick you up tomorrow about five, does that sound good?” I nodded and smiled, picking up my pencil as the bell rang and the teacher began. I get to actually do things with actual friends tomorrow. Look out, the sky is falling.

We began a section on DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis, a rather simple process, you just have to keep up with the replication and complementary bases, make sure you replace Thymine with Uracil and all that. I shorthanded down my notes, already knowing most of the material.

We covered about three hefty paragraphs of the material before I noticed that Harry wasn’t writing anything. He was staring at the teacher, mouth slightly ajar, eyes wide, clearly lost.

“Do you have a clue what’s going on?” I whispered, grabbing his attention. He shook his head and shrugged, looking my paper full of cryptic notes, features growing even more confused. I covered it, not wanting him to confuse himself further. “Don’t confuse yourself. I can help you if you’d like?” I offered. He glanced at his book again and at his empty paper, then nodded sheepishly. “Here, it goes like this…”


	19. 9-5 Father, Daddy After Hours

I hurried down the hallway to get to English, not wanting to be any later than I already was. Turns out that flirting with Harry by my locker was very time-consuming. I knocked lightly on my classroom door and walked in, stopping the teacher mid-sentence. I apologized quietly as I took my seat, wilting under Mrs. Louise’s glare.

“Alright, as I was saying, I want you to memorize the entire first stanza of the Thanatopsis by next week. It’s only about 16 lines, so it shouldn’t be of any difficulty to any of you.” She said, sitting back in her chair and starting to grade papers.

“Bloody hell,” Niall whispered, running a hand through his hair. “What’s up?” I asked, pulling out my book like the teacher instructed. “I can’t memorize for shit. I’ve got a touch of ADHD if you haven’t noticed. It’d kill me to try and focus long enough to memorize that.”

I smiled sympathetically, then offered, “If you don’t mind, I’ll talk to the teacher for you and see if there’s an alternate assignment for you.” “You’d do that?” Niall asked, smiling widely. “No problem. Wait around and I’ll ask her after class.”

**************************************************************

“So she said that she completely understands, and she’s gonna think up one or two small things that won’t be hard to focus on and let you know tomorrow what your options are. No biggie.” Niall clapped his hands as I spoke and pulled me into a monstrous hug, chanting thank you over and over again.

“Niall, I do enjoy breathing.” “Sorry, sorry,” he said, letting me go and straightening out my shirt. “Seriously thank you.” He hugged me again, and bid farewell, saying that he needed to get to calculus.

I went myself to Trig, walking through the door just as the bell rang and grabbing a worksheet from the stool by the door before hurrying to my seat. Liam looked up from where he was writing and tilted his head, silently asking where I had been.

“Teacher. All good.” I said, pulling out a pencil to start on the multitude of problems that required a good bit of calculation. He nodded, then leaned over towards me a little bit and frowned, looking upset. “Why were you with Niall? He asked, voice suspicious. I have no clue how he knows that I was with Niall, he doesn’t take any of the same paths between classes as I do.

“I talked to the teacher about getting him some help and he hugged me, why does it matter?” I asked, starting on the first problem. “Doesn’t. Just was wondering.” He said, looking anything but like he was “just wondering.” He sat back upright and picked up his pencil again. “It’ll matter to H,” He mumbled, drawing harsh lines with the lead. Why would the principal care?

I finished the remainder of the problems, double checking over them once more before walking to the front of the room and handing them to the smiling teacher that was looking at me like I had hung the stars and moon myself.

I gave an awkward smile back and hurried to my desk, kinda weirded out by the man. He was cool for about thirty minutes, then just became a creeper. The majority of the class had a good bit of problems left to solve, including Liam, the only person I could really talk to, so I took this time to observe.

A girl a few rows in front of me had her phone under the desk, incessantly typing on the hot pink device, and here we have our prime example of a social butterfly.

Across the room, a large boy sat with his back hunched, staring down at his paper while tapping his leg, letterman jacket stretched across his broad shoulders. That would be the stereotypical brainless jock.

At the back of the classroom on the opposite side sat a boy and girl, their desks were drawn together. As they each wrote, I watched as his hand went much further up her skirt than it needed to be, and the biting of her lip and feeble shove at his chest showed that there was no room for Jesus in that relationship.

The teacher sat leaned back in his desk, fingers fiddling with his wedding ring, sign that things might be a little rocky in the relationship department. Right next to me, Liam picked at the sides of his thumbs as he wrote, closing his eyes every now and then like he was trying to read something in his brain.

On the opposite side of him sat Michael, the same picking of his thumbs being done. Once you actually take a second and look at the pair side by side, you can start to pick out little indications of their shared bloodline. The hair was polar opposites in length and color, but if you squinted, you could see a little bit of brown coming through at Michael’s roots. Their irises were different colors, but the eyes themselves were the same round shape. They both had the same solid shape, but Michael was a good bit taller. The really shocking difference was their characters.

Liam was so mellow and kind, all uplifting praises and bear hugs. Michael was abrasive, confrontational. In the first ten minutes of me being in school, I thought that he was going to kill me. They were both gay, or bi as well. I’m assuming that Luke is in a relationship with Michael; either that or they’re both in denial to the connection that they’ve got. Never in a million years would I stand up to a person like Michael, and Luke seems to do it on the daily.

I must have drifted off and was just staring because Michael’s eyes flickered up to meet mine, nostrils flaring as he looked at my necklace and then cracked his knuckles on one hand, going back to writing with a clenched jaw. What was it with people looking at this necklace? Is it weird for me, a boy, to be wearing it, was it some kind of inside symbol that I had no clue of, who knows?

I reached up and pulled it over my head, holding it in front of me, and rubbing over the shape of it for the thousandth time. How did it end up in my locker?

“Put that back on, before you lose it,” Liam said, eyeing the piece of jewelry carefully. “I won’t,” I replied, slipping it back over my neck. “Wouldn’t that be a shame.” Michael rumbled, standing up and taking his own sheet to the teacher. “Well, how would you feel if you lost yours?” Liam hissed as Michael passed to sit back down. Michael glared and pulled an antler pendant necklace from inside of his own shirt, running his finger over it as if to make sure it was still there.

“Three years and I haven’t, I think I’m good.” He said, eyes growing soft for a second before going back to their usual cold glare and looking at Liam. “I never lose.” He hissed, pulling out his phone and opening an app. “Never,” Liam growled, yes, growled, under his breath and snatched his paper up, haughtily stalking to the front of the room with it. Michael watched him with a smirk, snickering like riling Liam up had been his plan all along, which it probably was, if they acted anything like Ben, Jack, and I.

Liam sat back down with his arms crossed, huffing and staring daggers at Michael, who just grinned and gave him the middle finger. Since Liam was the last to get finished, other than the jock that hadn’t done a single problem, the teacher began passing out the corrected and graded sheets, the expressions on people’s faces letting me know how that was turning out. Liam got his paper back and bit his lip, letting loose a sigh. When he sat it down, I saw that he had made 83%, which wasn’t too bad.

The teacher held Michael’s out to him, and just sighed, groaning, “Michael, you can’t just write the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody and “Jesus” as your answers.” On the top of the paper was a big, fat F, literally my worst nightmare.

Michael just shrugged and shoved it into his bookbag. I guess he’ll be taking this class again next year, as well. On my paper, as expected, was 100% and a creepy looking smiley face with way too much attention to detail on the eyes, making them look like they were crying for help.

I got the uncomfortable pat on the shoulder and a wink, making me suppress a shudder. The bell rang as he walked away, and I packed up in order to get out there as fast as I could.

Liam caught up with me in the hallway, going into extensive detail on how he despised chicken and waffles. As to why this topic was brought up or how I have no idea. “Hey, where were all of you yesterday?” I asked, having forgotten to do that this morning when we were all together.

Liam stopped and thought for a second, but recovered so quickly I almost missed his falter. “Z wasn’t feeling well, so I stayed home with him and Harry was visiting with some family that had come into town.”

“Oh, ok, I was just wondering since you were all gone at once.” I wasn’t going to ask as to why Michael and literally everyone else I had met was gone as well, I’ll just go with the belief that they were all otherwise preoccupied. “Are you hungry?”Liam asked, standing at the door to the cafeteria. “No, I’m good.”

“Well, I’m going to grab some food, you can walk with if you’d like.”

“No, I’ll just stay here.”

He nodded and walked into the bustling room, way too many people packed into one room for my liking. A few more people trickled from the main hall into the lunchroom, a few spreading out on the grass as we do.

As I stood there waiting, probably looking like an awkward potato, my phone buzzed in my pocket. The typical rules were lifted at lunch, we weren’t actually supposed to have our phones during school, but most teachers don’t actually care.

I pulled it out and woke it up, surprised to see who the message was from. *Haz* flashed as the contact name. I swiped the screen and put in my password to see what it read. **“I like my jacket on you.”** Was all it read, making me blush and cover my face with the sleeve.

Was Harry Styles actually flirting with me?

 **“I like your jacket on me.”** Was the most clever thing I could come up with, of course. I sent another right after, “Where are you?” I looked around the yard and didn’t see him by the tree, I didn’t see Zayn either. Maybe they’re with Liam.

“I’m most places,” a voice spoke up from behind me, making me turn around to meet his heart-stopping smirk and captivating eyes. He really needs to stop doing that, he’s going to give me a heart attack one day.

“Oh, Jesus, you scared me,” I said, placing a hand over my now rabbiting heart. “Just call me Harry, Jesus is unnecessary. You could call me Father, but that comes with the price of calling me Daddy after hours,” he said smoothly, leaning up against the wall by my head. I snorted obnoxiously loud and covered my mouth, eyes crinkling as Harry grinned. “Cheap price, Haz.”

We gazed at each other for another moment, breaking eye contact whenever Liam and Zayn walked from the lunchroom, hand-in-hand. Liam had a tray of food, way more than one person should be able to eat in one sitting. Maybe he’s sharing with Zayn and Harry. “Come on, Father,” I said teasingly, leaving Harry standing by the wall. It was his turn to snort this time, shaking his head as he set off after me.

We began walking towards our tree, Liam and Zayn doing cute couple shit, booping the other’s nose and stuff. A bird flickering through the branches of the overhead oak tree caught my attention, and I followed it’s frame as it flitted through the branches with speed and dexterity.

As I looked on, I didn’t even notice Harry scooting closer, oblivious to his intentions until I felt his arm lay heavily across my shoulder, making my step falter for a moment. I didn’t say anything though, just mentally rioted and fangirled. He didn’t look to me or anything, just kept walking with a small smile on his lips. He always carried himself like he was the most powerful person in the room, standing at full height, challenging anyone to mess with him by just the look in his eyes. And here he was blushing and grinning like a fool.

“Making a move on me, huh Styles?” I asked, flicking him in the chest.

He blushed even more, and Zayn started cackling. “Harry Styles, 17. A big, bad boy who likes long walks on the beach, fruit, and apparently, belly rubs. Got yourself quite the catch, Louis.” Liam said with a snicker.

“I hate you both so much,” Harry muttered, fighting his smile. I looked down to where his hand hung heavily over my chest and smiled. Four days ago I didn’t have a friend in the world and would have never have dreamed of living the life I am right now.

We made it to the tree and he reluctantly slid his arm from my shoulders, sitting down against the tree. I sat by his legs, hands tucked in the pockets of the jacket. Liam started on his plate of rather unhealthy looking macaroni, Zayn stealing the occasional fry from his plate and getting smacked in return.

“So, tomorrow?” Zayn asked, trying his luck at stealing another fry, this time getting Mac flung in his face. “We’re going to do lots of stuff. I told Louis we’d probably get him about five.” Harry answered, running a hand through his hair. He has such nice hair.

It was so fluffy and soft-looking.

“Did you hear a word I just said, Louis?” Liam asked, jarring me from my close examination of Harry’s amazing hair. “Hmm?” The three of them all laughed, making me blush and pout a little.

“I said to wear something warm, it gets chilly sometimes,” Liam repeated, waving his hand in the air for effect. I nodded, closing my eyes and laying back against the grass, always so damn tired, no matter how much sleep I got. I was just beginning to drift off to the sound their quiet conversation but shot back awake when I was grabbed and manhandled so that my head was in someone’s lap, a quick check of the shirt confirming that it was Harry’s.

“Go back to sleep.” He said, running a hand through my hair. Oh, that felt nice. I drifted back off to gentle fingers combing my hair, the feeling of _Harry Harry Harry_ floating in the air about me.

 


	20. Good Old Fashioned Styles Charm

“Are you going to wake him up?” ”I don’t want to.” Someone hissed in return, the deep voice belonging to Harry, I think. I can’t function properly after such a good nap. “Fine, you pansies, I’ll wake him up.” Someone, that was definitely Zayn, said, a sharp kick to my hip following suit. I groaned and rolled over, my face pressed in Harry’s thigh now.

“No need for that,” I said, rubbing at the now throbbing hip. “Oww!” Came from Zayn, “Throwing acorns is not necessary, Edward.” He said, sounding irate. I pushed myself up from his rather comfortable legs and wiped my eyes, stifling a yawn. “Stop fighting, I’m up.”

Harry dusted off my back and hopped up, pulling me to my feet after him. We gathered our things and began our trek back to the school, a few straggling people joining in our walk. Like last time, his arm snuck its way across my shoulders again. I was tired, he was soft, no one could blame me for laying my head against his body. He drew in a deep breath and tightened the arm, steps slowing down some.

As we went to walk into the building, my brother’s and their caravan exited the lunchroom at the same time, both of our groups intersecting at the entryway. The pair of them looked at me, Jack with wide, confused eyes and Ben with furious looking ones. I stuck my tongue out at the pair of them, making Niall, who was right behind them, laugh.

Luke, Michael, Calum, Ashton, and Hailee were there as well, all of their eyes on Harry, Liam, Zayn, and I. Luke raised his chin and drew his cane towards himself, gesturing to Harry to go in first. Michael rolled his eyes at us, so I stuck my tongue out at him, too.

When you’re 5’5” of ass and sass, that’s about the only defense mechanism you have.

Michael grumbled and went to step forward, but Luke just tightened his hand around Michael’s arm and shook his head, stopping Michael in his tracks once more. Again I wonder, how insane does Luke have to be to put up with Michael?

Harry and I walked on through the door behind Zayn and Liam, who were absorbed in their own little world. When Zayn had to leave to get to his own class, Liam frowned and gave him a hug. Zayn kissed the top of his head and left, Liam’s eyes following his receding figure until it turned and entered a classroom. He sighed and turned back around, following alongside Harry and me as we entered the Latin room.

The teacher looked up from where he was shuffling papers on his desk, looked at the pair of us, then smiled and winked, going back to his sorting. I think our Latin teacher ships us.

We separated to sit down at the table and pull out our books to work on the assignment projected on the smart-board. I copied out some roots from an index in the book, then made some sentences, focusing on conjugating properly, especially with the irregular verbs. Harry stopped his own work to show me how to do something every now and then, bumping my shoulder whenever I got it right. I got the hang of it after a few tries, the word transformation flowing easily onto the paper.

Harry finished long before me, closing his book and leaning back. I’m going to let him think that I don’t notice his foot hooked around my own under the table.

The bell rang all too soon, interrupting Harry and I’s little flirt fest. The paper that I was to turn into the teacher was covered in little drawings, some inappropriate and has to be covered, courtesy of Harry. I handed it to him with a sheepish grin, his eyebrows raising as he looked over the vandalized paper. “Have a nice day. Louis.” He said, putting a check mark over the paper despite the unseemly graffiti.

As we walked through the door, my face blood red, Harry was suppressing a laugh, proud of his little stunt. “Bastard,” I said, punching him in the shoulder. Next thing I knew, I was flush against the wall, Harry’s Harry’s fingers pressed loosely against my throat. “Be careful of what you call me, darling,” He whispered, pushing away with a smirk and going to his next class, winking as he looked back before rounding the corner. What even is breathing?

“Harry and Louis, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.” Liam chanted, dancing little circles around me. He ignored my annoyed “fuck off” and dodged my feeble attempts of hitting him, leaving me to stalk down the hallway with a hyperactive child whizzing around my head, singing immature phrases.

I’m not gonna lie, my heart was indeed racing just a little bit, and I’m almost positive that I’m flushed. Harry moved so quickly, having me up against the wall before I even registered that he had made contact with me. He breath had flared hot against my skin, minty puffs of air intermingling with my own. I have never been so flustered in my life. It’s like I forgot how to speak, or even breath. I was literally paralyzed by him.

“What‘s wrong with Louis?” Someone asked, snatching my attention. It was Zayn, standing by Liam in the hallway. I hadn’t even noticed that we had stopped. “Love birds,” Liam said, rolling his eyes. Zayn laughed and kissed the tip of his nose, running the back of his hand across Liam’s cheek. “Like we’re ones to be talking.” Liam laughed and kissed Zayn once more, and then we walked the rest of the way to the gym, staying focused this time.

We entered the door and I turned left to go to the locker room, but Liam grabbed my arm, “It’s Thursday, Thursday’s are free days.” He said, pulling me after him to the bleachers.

We found a spot about halfway up, and Liam beached himself on his stomach, whale noises accompanying. I took a more seemly position next to his head, crossing my legs and pulling out a book to work on some class-work for English that I had to have done by the end of next week.

Might as well go ahead and get it done, no use procrastinating. It was a simple rhyme scheme sheet, more repetitive than anything. Most were “ABBAABBA” and “CDECDE,” but some were more complex and used up to eight different letters. It must have been about halfway through the class period, nothing but the occasional renegade dodgeball or Liam’s quite atrocious snoring disturbing me.

I set aside the nearly completed sheet and scribbled a quick note on a sticky note I had in my bag, popping it onto Liam’s forehead in case he woke up. Avoiding being smacked by a stray ball, I skirted around the edge of the gym and out into the hall, where the bathroom was at the very end. I did my business quickly, flushing and moving over to the sink to wash my hands.

When I walked back down the hall and looked into the gym, Liam was sitting up and flipping through my English homework. As soon as I took a step into the actual room, he looked up and waved, going back to reading whatever it was that had captivated him. I made my way back to him and plopped down, looking over his shoulder at the text he was holding.

It was the answer to the question of the elements of transcendentalism and if they were really necessary during the American Romanticism phase. “This is genius.” He said, flipping the page to the back. “Like, I don’t think the teacher could describe and support it this well.” He said with big eyes, grazing over and devouring every word. “Thank you,” I said quietly, tidying my strewn paper back up some more. “You are so smart.”

I blushed and began packing up, gently taking the page from Liam’s eager grasp to put it back in its according folder. “You’re awesome.” He said, out of nowhere, leaning over and setting his chin on my shoulder. We sat there in silence for a few minutes, me just basking in the praise and I think that Liam might have nodded off again.

“So, what all are we doing tomorrow?” I asked, poking Liam in the ribs. “Can’t say, Harry wants to surprise you.” He said, pulling an exasperated sigh from me. “But I want to knowwwwww!” “Sorry.”

A few minutes later, I tried bargaining. “Just give me a hint.” Liam laughed and sat up, stretching. “One.” I nodded and leaned in, biting my lip. “It’s….. Somewhere that I can’t tell you about.” I groaned and smacked him in the arm, making him laugh hysterically and move away.

“Ass,” I mumbled, crossing my arms and pouting. He wrapped his arms around my head and pulled it to his chest, rocking me lightly. “Don’t be a baby, I’m just kidding. But really, I’m not allowed to tell you.” “

No fair,” I said, muffled by my face being smashed into his shirt. He patted the top of my head again and let me go, straightening my shirt out for me. “Come on, it’s time to go.” He said, standing up and handing me my bookbag. “No it’s n-“ I was cut off by the bell ringing, getting a smirk from Liam. I took the bookbag being handed to me and shrugged it on, clopping down the bleachers after Liam.

We went to our lockers and switched out all of the books, making small talk along the way about what we had done over the summer. Apparently, Liam’s family had taken a vacation to London, which was pretty cool. I have never been out of this country, not even to Canada and I lived an hour from the border at one point in my life. I told him about how I had gone to a STEM camp in Virginia and built a scale model of the first airplane to ever fly. In his word, I had a much more cool summer, but I’d say that London is pretty damn awesome.

When we walked into the lot, Harry and Zayn were leaned up against the Rover, aviators on, talking about something. As soon as we walked from the building, both of them looked up and smiled, and I almost want to say that Harry’s smile was aimed at me.

Liam and I walked up, Liam immediately sticking to Zayn’s side, myself just lurking around the outside of the group. “So, we’ll see you tomorrow?” Harry asked, pushing the sunglasses onto the top of his head.

“Yep. Oh, here you go, don’t want to forget this again.” I chucked my backpack to the ground and took off his jacket, holding it out to him. He took it gently, sliding it over his own shoulders, pulling the collar of the jack up to his nose and closing his eyes. Weirdo.

A car honked behind us, and I turned to leave thinking it was Ben and Jack. It wasn’t the Jeep, they weren’t even in it yet. Instead, there was a black Hummer, rumbling where it sat. Through the windshield I saw Michael, waving to Liam to come on.

Liam groaned and kissed Zayn, then stalked over to the vehicle, climbing in and crossing his arms. Before they left the parking spot, I saw Michael turn his head and say something to Liam, the latter of which whipped his head to him and it looked like he was yelling. Zayn sighed as the pair drove away, running a hand through his hair.

“Why doesn’t Liam have a car, isn’t he old enough?” I asked, looking to Zayn and Harry. “He does, it’s just in the shop at the moment. Usually, he rides with me, but his Mom made him ride with Michael this morning.” Zayn said, eyes never leaving the tail end of the preceding vehicle.

Just then, Ben and Jack left the school, and instead of going to the car, they spoke amongst themselves for a moment and then walked over to us. I groaned, knowing that this couldn’t end well. “Hey Lewis, what are you doing?” Ben asked, never even looking at me, instead, looking directly at Harry.

“Talking,” I said, going to walk to the car, anything to get them away from Zayn and Harry. Of course, they just can’t take a hint. “So, Zayn, I hear you’re the best here at football,” Jack said, narrowing his eyes. “That’s what they say.” “

Why weren’t you at the meeting yesterday, then? Not trying out this year?” “Oh, I’ll be trying out, and I’ll be getting quarterback again, that’s not even a question.” Ben and Jack nodded, glaring at Zayn. “We’ll see you there, then. Harry. Nice seeing you.” They nodded to each other, then Ben got on one side of me and Jack on the other, and then I was physically escorted away from my friends, barely able to turn around and wave.

“Get off of me, you Neanderthals,” I said, shoving away from the pair of them and climbing into the vehicle. They got in on their respective sides, staying silent until we were about five minutes away from the school. Then the lecturing began.

“Louis Goddamn Tomlinson, how difficult is it for you to actually listen for once and do what we say? If I remember correctly, Ben told you to stay away from them, yet today I see you snuggled up to Harry like he’s a fucking pillow-pet. These boys aren’t right.”Jack said, turned completely around in his seat. Ben chiming in every now and then a like some sort of hype man.

“Then what’s wrong with them? I can list a few things that aren’t right with your friends, but do you hear me say them? No!” Jack turned around and slapped the dash, making me jump, but maintain my pissed off facade I was putting on.

We all just sat and simmered then cutting glances amongst ourselves periodically. My phone went off, making Ben look in the mirror and roll his eyes. “I wonder who that could be.” He said mockingly, his voice in a retarded high pitch. I looked at the screen, where Harry’s name was flashing. I held it up so that they could see the sender, and stuck my tongue out at their expressions.

I turned the phone back around to myself and opened the message, feet tapping a little in excitement. It’s not every day that a sex god messages you first, now is it? **{Your brothers don’t seem to like me very much.}** I looked up front where they were both brooding and silently snickered, sending back a quick **{They’ll get over it.}**

My phone dinged seconds later, **{I’ll win them over, got that good old fashioned Styles charm.}** I giggled out loud at that one, Jack making retching noises up front. **{I’m sure you will, Harold.}** When we pulled up to the house, Ben and Jack stalked inside, and I just walked straight to the woods, not wanting to have to breathe the same air as them for as long as possible.

 


	21. Listen and Boof

I made it to the tree in record time, pulling out my Latin book and opening it to the page full of fill-in-the-blank problems, a good fifty of them. With occasional referencing back to the text, I powered through a good twenty, and then they finally got too hard to just breeze on through. I even resorted to googling a few of the answers on my phone. It was just difficult learning an entirely new language.

I wrote down the final answer and sighed, slamming the book shut with finality, immediately being startled by a growl. I looked around and didn’t see Moose, so I leaned back and waited for him, calling out after another few seconds without him appearing.

“Moose, where are you?” I asked, turning around and looking behind the tree to see if he was over that way. I didn’t see him there either and turned back.

That definitely wasn’t Moose.

It was the same wolf as a few nights prior, that one with the white ear and ghastly scar. His lips were drawn back, revealing two rows of jagged teeth, tongue licking over them as he stood there, the hair on his back raised.

“Hi again,” I said, holding out my hands as I stood up shakily. His growling increased and he took a few steps closer, lashing his tail about behind him. Apparently, Moose’s little buddies don’t like me.

I cringed and took a few steps back, around the tree so that I’d have a clear shot if need be to turn and run. “Don’t hurt me,” I asked, watching as his eyes narrowed and he lowered himself closer to the ground, looking like a tiger ready to pounce at any moment. Yep, this day just officially went to shit.

I swear on a stack of bible’s and my Tumblr account that either I’m

A) Living in the middle of a sanctuary/zoo,

B) My neighbor has a warped sense of the phrase “lap dog,” or

C) I’m completely mental and none of this is real, it’s all a hallucination from the drugs I’m being administered at the sanitarium.

At the moment, I’m voting on answer C. Praying for it. Because if none of this is real, then I’m not about to die.

Before he could move another muscle, of course, just to my never-ending luck, another damned wolf walked out, footsteps calm and slow, like he was walking to the dinner table; which, thinking about it, he probably was.

  
The wolf was striking in color, an almost shimmering silver, eyes cerulean and piercing. He was small, a fraction of the size of Moose and this demon dog, fur fluffed like that of a puppy’s. He walked carefully between Satan and me, grazing his tail along Satan’s side as he passed by and sat down, tail wrapping neatly around his feet. He looked to me and flicked the tip of the tail lightly, almost as in greeting.

He twitched his ear and turned his head then to look at Satan and cocked his head to the side, whining lowly. Immediately, Satan’s hackles lowered and then he himself lowered, right to the ground on his belly. The silver wolf gave a hard thump of his tail on the ground and stood up, slightly shaking his head.

With steps light as air, he walked slowly, step by step, over to me, ears swiveling rapidly. He was so careful and wary, almost like he couldn’t see where he was going. As a reflex, I closed my eyes and ducked my head, waiting for a bite or something along those lines. Instead, I felt a wet nose prodding at my cheek, a rumble low in the throat of the wolf. I cracked open my eyes and unfurled from my tiny ball of protection, eyes level with the captivating ones of the silver wolf.

Behind his head, I saw Satan slowly rise back to his feet, turning around like he was going to leave. Good riddance.

Before he had even made it two steps, the silver wolf growled, not even looking away from me for one second. With a huff, Satan turned back and sat down, lip curling up as he caught my gaze.

“Stunning,” I said, picking my hand up slowly and placing it atop of the silver wolf's head. He jerked, then closed his own eyes in satisfaction, tail gently sweeping the crumbling leaves around as it waved. He backed away after a moment and turned, whining and flicking his tail.

The monstrous wolf laid his ears flat and snarled, backing away some. The silver wolf growled, and I’m thinking that whatever he said wasn’t a suggestion. Satan flattened his ears and stalked over, gruffly bumping his head against my hand and standing there, looking at the ground like he was embarrassed.

I tentatively scratched his scalp a few times, then lowered my hand. He huffed and looked at the silver wolf, with a “are you happy” expression, then smacked me with his tail and paced over to the silver wolf, gently licking the side of his head and pressing his body lengthways against him. They walked side by side back into the underbrush, silver and black fur clashing violently against the evergreen underbrush.

As I watched them leave, a large black blob barreled through the undergrowth just then, skidding to a stop and nearly putting me into cardiac arrest. Moose whined and circled me, walking all around the clearing.

“Calm down. Everything’s fine.” I said, leaning back against the tree. Moose huffed and walked over to me, snuffling at my neck once more, possibly the most annoying quirk of his. “Back off, Jesus,” I said, gently shoving at his chest.

This time he didn’t growl, only huffed, but still backed off, sitting before me with a lopsided grin, if dogs can even grin. “You’re a good guard dog,” I said, scratching his jaw. “You’re a little late, he’s already gone, but thanks for trying.” He flattened his ears and lowered his head, almost as if he was ashamed.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. You’re just like my mother. Crisis averted, I’m going to tell you about my day, and you can bark every once in a while.” On cue, he let out a boof and laid down, head perched across the top of my shins.

“So, I think that Harry may like me. All day, he was so sweet, and I think he was flirting, too. Plus, tomorrow is the day that we’re going out. With friends though, but still, we’re going out. I’m so excited. But, that means I can’t come out here tomorrow, I have to get ready to go out. That won’t hurt your feelings, will it? I’m sorry.”

Moose just rolled to his back and wagged his tail, seemingly indifferent to the whole situation. “You’re so good at listening,” I said as I rubbed his stomach, getting a few leg kicks in return.  
“Time for me to go,” I said after checking the time on my phone, standing up and putting my bookbag back on, Moose huffing and rising to his feet afterward.

“Come on, I know you’ll follow anyways.” Sure enough, he walked right alongside me, us having this whole thing down to a science at this point. It doesn’t seem like I’ve only been acquainted with Moose for less than a week; I feel like he’s been my best friend for years. You know you’re pathetic whenever your best friend can’t speak, is lazy af, and walks on four legs.

Ahead of us, a limb shook and steps could be heard. Moose stopped and perked his ears, then barked once and the noise stopped. Like a child, the perpetrator slunk from the foliage, tail and head low, limp prominent. It was the brown wolf that I’d seen on occasion, the one with the severe limp. He stood out in the open, looking at the ground like he was waiting for a scolding.

Moose left my side and walked up to him, his form looming over the petite wolf. With a yip, he butted his head against the smaller wolf’s shoulder. Immediately, the brown wolf perked up and barked back, stamping his front feet against the ground in this funny little hop.

I must be living in a dream.

Here I am, in the middle of the woods on the outskirts of a suburban town, watching two actual wolves play, and having seen more. This is my life now.

Moose nipped his ear, and the brown wolf crouched and barreled himself into Moose’s legs, tangling him up and knocking him over. They rolled around on the dirt for a few seconds and then popped back up, leaves in their fur and tongues out, tails just a wagging.

With a snuffle, Moose nosed the smaller wolf’s cheek, and then the latter took off back into the underbrush, a choppy, dragging lope. I wonder what happened to his leg? Moose shook his fur and pranced back up to me, happily bumping against my leg.

“That your girlfriend?” I asked teasingly, giggling. I swear at that moment, if it is possible for a wolf to look horrified, that is the epitome of his reaction. He stopped and looked at me, tail stilling mid-swipe. He grumbled somewhere deep in his throat, shaking his head vigorously. “I’ll take that as a no.”

We continued our walk, my hand occasionally finding its way into the course hair atop his blocky head. We got to the yard and I ruffled his hair once more, crouching down a little so that we were eye to eye. “Bye, I’ll see you on Saturday or whenever.” He snorted and laid his head on my shoulder, snuffling some.

I let him take his time if it was natural for him to do this, why stop him? I stood back up once he pulled away, knees popping. I gave him one final wave and left, going into the house and straight up to my room, peering out of the window.

As I thought, Moose was still there, sitting just a little out of direct sight. The best friend I’ve ever had, so far.


	22. Maybe That Makes Me a Fool

I laid out on my bed and pulled out my phone, going to Spotify and putting on my ultimate Arctic Monkeys playlist, full of their music and the like. “Arabella” came on and I pulled my laptop over, opening up Tumblr once again.

“Louis, you in there?” Jack asked, pushing my door open slowly as he did so. I logged out of the page and shut my laptop quickly, I would get crucified if Ben and Jack knew I had a Tumblr.

“Nope, this is but a mere hologram.” I said, rolling over onto my back and sitting up, resting bitch face activated.”Don’t get smart with me, Shortbus. I just came to talk to you without having to listen to Ben bitch every three seconds.” He said, pulling up my desk chair and straddling it. Uninvited, of course.

“Well, you bitch as well.” “I bitch because I care about you. I don’t know what Ben’s problem is. I don’t see anything wrong with you being friends with these boys, as long as you’re not doing stupid stuff. As for you maybe liking or even dating this Harry boy, I don’t know what to say about that. I have no clue how gay relationships work. Just don’t get pregnant, I guess.” Jack finished his spiel by scratching his neck awkwardly, looking anywhere but at me.

I couldn’t refrain myself from busting out laughing, making his face turn bright red. “For one thing, I’m a guy, I can’t get pregnant. Also, gay relationships work the same way, just with a lot more butt-stuff.” Jack paled and covered his ears, squeezing his eyes shut. “Please never speak of butt-stuff in my presence again.” He asked, voice sounding tight and pinched.

“All dramatics aside though,” He said, standing back up and walking towards the door, “Just don’t be stupid, don’t run off and join a gang or something, ok?” I nodded and he sighed, opening the door to leave. “I’m getting pretty good at this big brother thing. Oh, and Mom is downstairs, she wants to talk to you before dinner.”

With that, he left, leaving my door open, of course. What does my mom want to talk about? I set my laptop back onto the desk and turned the music on my phone off, tucking the phone in my back pocket. Mom was leaned against the counter, lazily stirring something that looked like noodles in a pot while reading something on her Kindle.

“So, I hear tomorrow is your big date?” She asked, never taking her eyes off of the tablet. “It’s not a date, Mom, we’re all just going to hang out.” “Not according to your brothers. They say that Harry is a little too friendly with you.”

This time, she peered over the top of her reading glasses and snapped the cover over the face of the tablet. She means business.

“So, we get along well. Big deal.”

“Yes, big deal. Cuddling up to you is a big deal. Acting like your personal bodyguard is a big deal. Walking down the hallway smushed up together is a big deal. Don’t try to play this off.” She was practically yelling at this point, and if I was stupid I would think that there were tears in her eyes.

“I swear, we are just friends. At the moment.” I added in, not wanting to outright lie. Things could become more serious, I just have to give it time.

“But you’re my baby.” She said, voice cracking. And oh, those were tears. I pulled her into a hug, letting her sniffle against my shoulder. “I’m still your baby, I’m just a little bit older.” She nodded and wrapped me in a tight hug, rocking us a little. She finally pulled away with a deep breath, smiling through her eyes and tears were still wet. “Be smart. You’re my only chance of getting to design a wedding.” I laughed along with her, giving her one last hug.

“Now, call your brothers down, the spaghetti is ready. And don’t think I forgot, I’ve still got to meet these boys before you go anywhere tomorrow. What time are they picking you up?” “About five,” I said, turning back around from shouting up the stairs for Ben and Jack.

“I’ll be here, I get off early on Fridays.” I nodded and grabbed the plates from the cabinet, setting them down on the counter. I was just filling the glasses with ice whenever the cavalry arrived, pounding down the stairs in a valiant effort to get to the food before the other. Jokes on them, I get first dibs because I helped set up.

I stuck my tongue out at them and piled my plate with noodles, ladling a generous portion of sauce on top, taking two of the hunks of garlic bread from the tray and then going to the dining room, drink in hand. They all joined me after a moment, only a little bumping and shoving coming from them.

Dinner was short, quiet, and thankfully uneventful. We all finished and ran off to get washed. I got out of the shower and did my now customary window check, only to see that Moose wasn’t in his spot. I craned my head to see if I could catch a glimpse of his fur farther along the tree-line but saw nothing.

I shrugged and flicked off my light, crawling under the cover and closing my eyes. On my bedside table, my phone went off, lighting up my otherwise pitch black room. I squinted at the sudden, intrusive brightness and grabbed the phone, eyes slowly adjusting enough so that I could read the screen.

 **From: Haz {You up?}** Not gonna lie, my heart fluttered just a little bit. I sent back a quick yea and shamelessly stared at the screen, waiting for his next message. Instead, it flashed incoming call, Harry’s contact name flashing across the screen. I almost dropped my phone in shock, recovering enough to take a deep breath and answer with what I thought was only a little bit of a high-pitched voice.

“Hey, Harry.”

“Hey, Lou.” God, he even sounded sexy through the phone, I may die tonight and never even make it to tomorrow. “What’s up?” I said, sitting up so that my back was pressed against the headboard.

“Nothing. Just wanted to talk to you.” OK, yep, I’m dead.

“Me too.” I bit my lip after saying that. He let loose a little chuckle, a melodious sound that drifted through the speakers and through my body, causing an involuntary shiver. “What do you want to talk about, then, since you wanted to talk to me so bad?” He teased.

“I don’t know, you were the one to call me after all.”

“Cheeky, cheeky. Fine, let’s talk about ourselves. You go first. Tell me your favorite song, book, and thing to eat.” I thought about it for a second, god I had so many favorites. Finally, I decided on “Goodnight, Socialite by the Brobecks, Out Of My Mind by Sharon Draper, and grilled cheese, god I love grilled cheese. What about you?”

“Hmm, I think my favorite song is The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, everything by them, really. My favorite book would have to to be Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur because I’m a basic bitch, and pizza is the love of my life. What’s your favorite thing to do?”

This boy is an enigma. “I like reading on the porch in the afternoon, especially after it rains.” I smiled thinking about it, I could almost smell the damp air, here the last of the rain droplets falling through the leaves, it was almost euphoric.

“I like lying on the ground and just looking at the stars, finding the constellations and trying to witness a shooting star.” His voice got floaty as he spoke about it, I could almost hear the awe in the way he spoke.

“What are your parents like?” I asked. I had told all of the boys about my parents and sibling and everything the first day I met them, but now that I think about it they hadn’t told me anything. There was a long pause after that, I could barely hear him breathing on the other end of the line. Maybe this was a sensitive subject, I shouldn’t have brought it up.

“Oh, I’m s-“ “No, no, you’re fine. I was just thinking about something. My dad died a few years ago, and my mom is uh, away for work a good bit, I actually live on my own the majority of the time, either that or I stay with Zayn or Liam. We look out for each other.”

“I’m sorry about your dad. It’s good that you have Zayn and Liam though. Speaking of those two, are they endgame?” Harry chuckled and I heard springs squeak like he had rolled over in the bed. “Yeah, I’d say they’re endgame. Have been since eighth grade.”

“How long have you known them?” I asked, flipping around on my bed and putting my feet on the wall, because who talks on the phone in normal positions?

“Z, I’ve known him my whole life, grew up next door to him. Liam came into the picture at the beginning of eighth grade, hair, and bookbag, way too big for his small frame.” Harry was cracking up on the end of the line, one of the happiest sounds that I have ever heard.

He finished laughing, catching his breath. Almost blowing out my eardrum, he yelled, “No, I’m not talking to myself, I’m on the phone you nosy fuck! Sorry, Lou, I was yelling Zayn.” I eased the phone back up to the ear, wary of any more outbursts. “That’s fine.” We sat in silence for a moment, both waiting for the other to speak.

Harry broke the silence first, the sound of springs coming through again as I guess he shifted once more. “You like to sing, right?” He asked, yawning a bit at the end. “Yea, I guess. How did you know?” “Oh, you were, um, singing to yourself one day and I heard you, that’s all. Would, you um, would you sing something, please?” He asked, sounding hesitant.

I was shocked, biting on my lip. “If you don’t want to, that-“ No, I’ll do it, just let me think of something.” I thought for a moment, mentally scanning through my phone’s library, I could bust out some Iggy, that’s always an option, but I think that might scare him more than anything.

“Um, what about Broken?” I offered tentatively, playing with the hem of my comforter. “Perfect.”  
That was all he said, so I took that as an invitation to start singing, drawing in a deep breath and starting the song.

“I like that you’re broken, broken like me, maybe that makes me a fool...” I flowed through the song, singing it softly and only with one or two botched lyrics. As I finished, nothing greeted me in response on the phone. I listened for a moment longer, and could just barely hear muffled snores. Harry had gone and fallen asleep on me. I don’t know if I should be endeared that I lulled him to sleep or ashamed because I bored him to sleep. I’m going to go with the former, it makes me feel more accomplished.

I heard my door creak open, and Ben’s head appeared in the gap, hair wet and towel hanging from his waist. “Louis, it’s late, who are you talking to? And why are you singing?” I laid my phone down on the pillow, ending the call and locking it.

“I was on the phone with a friend, and I was singing because they asked.” Ben sighed and laid his head against the doorframe, looking peeved. “It was Harry, on the phone, wasn’t it?” He asked, staring right through me.

“Maybe.”

Ben slammed his hand on the wall, making me jump and scoot farther away out of reflex. “Dammit, Louis, can you not listen to me? Are you incapable of that? Do you physically lack the mental capability to follow a simple command?”

“Last time I checked, you weren’t my dad, so I don’t take orders from you. So fuck off!” I yelled the last bit, taking a pillow and hurling it at the wall by his head, nearly smacking him in the face. He jerked back out of reflex, then stuck his head back in and glared before turning and shutting the door, slamming it hard enough for the sound to resonate throughout the room and probably the whole house. My guess was proven correct when I heard feet coming up the stairs, they sounded like my mother’s.

She stuck her head in my room first, a completely done look on her face. “Why are you all yelling and slamming doors? It is 12:30 at night, and I have to go into work in the morning, as well as you go to school.”

“Why don’t you ask Ben?” I said, crossing my arms and doing my signature pout, the one my mom just couldn’t resist. She sighed and left the doorway, knocking at Ben and Jack’s door a moment later. I heard tidbits of the conversations, mostly the parts where Ben was yelling, my name always involved.

At one point, after a good five consecutive minutes of yelling, I heard Jack just yell, “Shut up, Ben! Just shut the hell up!” After that, the argument was more between the two of them. Mom finally just threatened to take their car or something and they shut up, but the tension in the air was almost palpable. Mom gave them a curt goodnight and I heard their door click shut, and then her footsteps were making their way back over to my room.

She came all the way in, sitting at the end of the bed. “Ben said that you were on the phone with Harry.” “Yea, I don’t see why that’s such a big deal.”

“In all honesty, neither do I. Ben is just taking the fact that you like this boy heard for some reason. Maybe his big brother senses are kicking in, I don’t know, Just, try not to rile him up talking a lot about Harry or anything, please. As of now, I’m fine with this budding relationship or whatever it is you two have going on. Don’t do anything to make me lose my trust, though, you hear me?”

I nodded and she patted my knee, standing up and walking to the door. Before she closed it and turned off the light, she looked back with a smile tugging at her lips. “Did you really sing him to sleep?” She asked.

I turned what I’m sure was beet red and pulled a pillow over my face, screaming into it. She laughed and turned the light off, casting me into darkness. I put my phone back on the charger by my bed, rolling into a blanket burrito from the chill of my room.

Today was a good day.


	23. Only The Alpha Gets To Wolf Whistle

The first thing that came to mind when I woke up was _oh my god it’s date day_ , and the second was why is my phone beeping at seven in the morning?

I groggily pushed myself up into the sitting position, blinking as I tried to read what was written on my illuminated screen. **From: Haz {Good Morning}** It was just two words, but I still blushed. Never in my life have I received a good morning text, not even from a family member while I was off at camp or something.

After a little bit of unnecessary squealing, I sent back a short message of my own, throwing off the covers and shivering at the chilly air. It was a relatively old home, it wasn’t the best insulated by far. With almost chattering teeth, I trudged to the bathroom and did my morning routine, deciding to just leave my hair flat against my head for the time being. I’ll actually make an attempt to look decent for the date-thing tonight.

Eager to get something other than boxers and an old Iron Maiden shirt on, I dug through my closet and pulled out a pair of black skinnies and a large burgundy sweatshirt, a small alien with a cigarette on the left breast. I looked in the mirror and shrugged, pulling a grey beanie over my mass of frizzy hair. There was a very thin line between lazy and absolutely horrendous.

With a quick look, I saw that one of the wolves was outside, sitting in the usual spot. I slipped a pair of ratty old Vans on my feet and hurried down the stairs, only about ten minutes to spare. I darted through the kitchen, grabbing two muffins from the plate on the counter “Where are you going?” My mom called out after me. “Nowhere, I’ll be right back.”

I slowed down a good bit as I walked towards the spot, not wanting to scare whoever was there off. Unless it was Satan, then I probably going to be the one scared off. I peered over the bushes and saw a lump of brown fur.

I almost left, thinking it was Satan, but this wolf was considerably smaller. As soon as I took another step forward, his ears pricked and he scrambled to his feet, tail wagging so fast his whole body shook “Well aren’t you just a happy little camper,” I asked, holding out my hand to see if it would come up.

Like an eager puppy, they ran up and nearly knocked me over from ramming into my legs, whining as they wormed around me. His gait was a little wonky from the back leg, but it didn’t seem to hinder him at all. “Yes, yes, I see you, calm down!” I said with a laugh, scratching him behind the ear the best that I could with them going all over the place.

He finally stilled and sat down, right on top of my feet, head tilted back and laying against my thighs. “Happy boy. You want a muffin?” He thumped his tail and barked, which I took as a yes. We ate our meal in companionable silence until I looked at my phone and saw the time.

Ben and Jack would probably come looking for me in a moment and I don’t really want to have to explain why the wildlife and I are pals, especially why the wildlife is a large, excitable wolf. “I’ve gotta go, you need to go home now,” I said, patting the wolf once more before backing away and letting it stand up, fur sticking out in all directions.

He butted my knee once more with his head and then loped off, back leg catching every few steps. I wish I would have looked at it some while he was here. I turned and walked back to the house, shivering despite the large sweatshirt.

“Are you ready for school?” My mom asked as I walked back into the kitchen, where she was mixing another batch of some type of batter. It’s a miracle that Ben, jack, and I aren’t 500 pounds with how much this woman feeds us. “Yep, all ready.”

“Louis...” There goes that tone of voice, the one that means she’s going to interrogate me about something. “Why is their hair all over your jeans?” I looked down at my legs, where there was, sure enough, a dusting of short brown hairs clinging to the fabric. “I, uh, guess I’m shedding. Changing of seasons and all.” Ben and Jack came down the stairs, each grabbing a muffin or five and leaving without a word, doing one of their weird synchronized twin mood-swings.

“Got to go!” I said, taking my chance and running with it. “Louis, we’re still tal-“ “I’ll be late for school, bye Mom, l love you!” I slammed the door after me, hustling to get into the already cranked Jeep.

The pair stayed silent the entire trip, not even looking at the other. I fiddled around on my phone, playing a few games I had when my phone signaled a message, this time from Liam’s number. I clicked on it in surprise, wondering why he was texting me.

 **[Good morning Louis! Are you excited about tonight? I am, I know what we’re going to do but they won’t let me tell you because they’re assholes. See you at school, Lou!}** So, Liam types as enthusiastically as he is in real life.

I sent back **{Morning! Yep, I’m excited for tonight. I’ll see you at school.}** Immediately, I got like three thumbs up emojis and at least ten smiley faces in return, making me smile. Liam truly was a walking ball of sunshine.

We pulled up to the school and Ben parked, the pair leaving the vehicle and walking straight into the school without a word. “Assholes,” I muttered, climbing from the vehicle on my own. I was instantly bombarded by a Liam hug, my body being pressed against the vehicle. “Hey, buddy.” He said, practically picking me up off of the ground.

“Hey, Liam,” I said, hugging him back. He held me for a second, then shouted “Zayn’s here!” and dropped me like I was the honorary hot potato of the day and bolted off, making me almost stumble to the ground.

Instantly, two hands were around my waist, holding me up. “Easy now, don’t want you falling.” The someone said, and pitchy voice with a bit of an accent; one that I wasn’t familiar with. I cracked open my eyes I don’t even remember closing, and peculiarly it was one of the boys that I see with Michael and my brothers, Calum.

He smelled like cigarettes and old spice, and his accent curled about him as he spoke. With our close proximity, I noticed that his eyes were this deep brown, and there was the beginning of some scruff gracing his jaw, which could probably cut glass. “Oh, thanks,” I said, He still stood there, eyes flitting across my face.

Our close proximity began to feel a tad bit claustrophobic, and I tried to weasel my way past him to get out from his scrutinizing gaze. “I see.” He finally said, then stepped away as if he hadn’t been locking me into place a few seconds prior.

“What the fuck, Calum?” I heard someone say, and Calum smiled before looking towards the origin of the exclamation, an unknown glint in his eye. “Harry, pleasure. And you know I just shop, I never buy.” Harry’s hard-eyed and leather covered form hulked over Calum, jaw set.

“Scram.” He said, biting off the words at the tip of his tongue. “Very well. So long, you beautiful creature.” Calum said, patting my cheek and then strolling off, sticking his tongue out at Harry’s pissed expression.

Harry huffed and looked at me, eyes softening. “Hey.” He said softly, nibbling on his lip. “Hi,” I replied, twisting my feet. We looked at each other, sharing coy glances. “What did we miss?” Liam asked, jogging up breathlessly, Zayn in tow. They both had bright red lips and cheeks, and their hair was messed up. I don’t have to think very hard to know what they were doing over behind Harry’s car.

“Nothing, I’m fine,” I said tucking my hands into my sweatshirt pocket. “Yeah. He’s fine now, Liam.” Harry said, staring at Liam as if he was insinuating something unspoken, voice hollow. Liam physically cringed and shrunk back, further into Zayn. The latter wrapped an arm around Liam, rolling his eyes at Harry. Liam gave a small “sorry” and peered out from below his hooded lashes, bottom lip poked out like a three-year-old.

Harry glared for a moment longer and then huffed, pulling me under his own arm with a squeak. “Let’s go to class.” He said curtly, dismissing whatever tension was in the air. Without another word, he steered me towards the school, Zayn and Liam behind us.

Harry paused by my locker so that I could grab a few books from it and put a few in, Liam doing the same across the hall. Harry glanced back at the solitary pair and sighed. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” He murmured, walking across the bustling hall to them. I watched out of the corner of my eye as they conversed. Harry did most of the talking, and for some reason, Liam looked really small between Zayn and Harry. I never noticed that he was that much shorter.

Harry said something and pointed over to me, never taking his eyes off of Liam. Liam ducked his head and nodded, then laid his forehead against Harry’s arm, Zayn’s hand intertwined loosely with his. Harry gave a small smile and ran a hand through his hair, then winked at Zayn and turned back to me, myself averting my gaze quickly. Harry probably wouldn’t appreciate someone lurking in on their conversation.

“Alright, let’s go,” Harry said, throwing his arm over my shoulder once more. I don’t know why, but he always seemed to be trying to touch me somehow, just like Liam and Zayn. “Are you three okay?” I asked, looking up to him. He looked down distractedly, biting his lip. “Yeah, we’re cool. Just had a bit of a riff, we’re all good now.”

I nodded and leaned slightly into him, sleep still pulling on my eyelids. We walked into the Chemistry room and pulled out our pencils, the teacher begins to hand out the tests. “You’ll do fine,” I whispered, seeing the nervousness in Harry’s eyes as the daunting test was placed in front of him. He gave me a warm smile and picked up his pencil, starting on the matching section.

“I can negotiate trade deals and perform holy ceremonies, but I can’t even pass chemistry,” He muttered under his breath, erasing what he had put down for number one for the fourth time.

_He can what now?_

I was already halfway through with the twenty matchings, the answers coming like second nature. “Just breathe,” I whispered, running my hand against the outside of his thigh. He stopped and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and tilting his head back.

When he re-opened them, I could have sworn I saw a flash of red. I blinked and did a quick double take, but his eyes were the same beautiful green as always, nothing was out of the ordinary. I must have been a trick of the light, halogen bulbs were the worst.

Harry began his test with a newfound fervor, filling in answers left and right. I smiled and resumed my own, jotting down some of the short answer answers and completing the word puzzle with vocabulary words. I was checking over my work and preparing to turn it in when, to my surprise, Harry sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, staring at a completed test.

He smiled at me and pointed to it, looking like he had just gotten into college. I stood up and rubbed his shoulder, and I may or may not drug my hand across the back of his neck as I walked around him, picking up his paper along with my own to take up to the teacher. I felt goosebumps rise up on his skin, and I coyly smiled and sashayed up to the desk, getting the next chapter’s assignments from the teacher.

I was maybe feeling just a little bit brave flirtatiously today. As I jotted down the assignment, only slightly bending over the desk, I heard a catcall. I assumed it was Harry, but changed my assumption when I heard a thunk and an “OWW!” Followed by the teacher standing up from her desk. “Harry Styles, what has gotten into you?” She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

I turned around to see Harry half out of his chair, looking like he was fuming, a binder that looked a lot like his on the ground behind a boy holding the back of his head. Based on their positions, I can infer that Harry did the throwing, and the other boy probably did the cat-calling.

“Gallagher, Styles, what is the meaning of this?” She asked again, rounding her desk and walking between them. Harry went to open his mouth, but looked to me and sat back down slowly in his chair, just keeping eye contact with me. Gallagher glared at Harry, “Absolutely nothing, miss. Nothing’s wrong.” He said, rolling his eyes and giving the back of his head one more tender caress.

The teacher bit her lip and sighed, going back to her chair behind the desk. “Very well, if you say so. If anything else happens, then I will punish you both. Now be quiet, there are still tests out.”

Gallagher grumbled and resumed his work, cutting Harry a few more sharp glances. I hesitantly returned back to my seat, Harry’s hard gaze still trained murderously on the back of Gallagher's head. “You okay?’ I asked quietly, placing my hand on his forearm gently.

Harry snapped his gaze to me and fought to put a smile on his face.”He was just being a prick, no big deal.” He said, laying his head on my shoulder. I let him lie there and started on my vocabulary for the next chapter, going on and getting ahead of the class so that I could have some free time this weekend.

Harry was quite distracting as I worked, playing with the strings on my sweatshirt and making paper airplanes with his old review sheets. “Having fun?” I asked, fighting a smile as Harry batted at my dangling strings like an enamored kitten. “Very much so.” He said, doing that nuzzling thing again.

He caught himself after a second and picked his head up, cheeks flushing. “You’re fine.” He smiled and laid his head back down, nuzzling in closer to my neck. Not gonna lie, it was a little bit ticklish. I finished up the vocabulary and completed the cumulative questions, done with homework in here for the next week. The bell rang and I went to bend over and get my bookbag, but Harry was deadweight. He had fallen asleep, and now that I focused I could hear the little snores passing his parted lips.

“Haz,” I whispered, poking him in the cheek. He shot his head up and blinked, “I’m up, I’m up.” He said, nonchalantly wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth. “Sure you are. Come on, the bell rang.”

He sighed and packed up, standing and waiting by his chair for me. “Have fun in class.” He said, parting with me at the junction in the hallways. He brushed his shoulder against mine as he passed, and I whispered “bye.” As I headed off to English, I had to physically restrain myself from squealing. What even is my life?

I sat through the entirety of English with a stupid grin on my face, mind anywhere but there. I just kept thinking of how Harry is so nice and protective, and how he does these sly little flirty actions that make my heart go wild. So maybe I got called out by the teacher a few times for blatantly not paying any attention to her rather dull lesson, it was totally worth it.

I noticed Niall giving me weird looks every now and then, as well as some of the other classmates whose names I hadn’t cared to learn. When the bell rang, I left in the same starry-eyed trance I had come in with, most likely looking like I was stoned out of my mind.

When I walked into Trig, Liam smiled and waved, pulling a return wave from me, and Michael just rolled his eyes and dramatically flipped his red hair.

“What’s gotten you into such a good mood?” Liam asked as I sat down. “Nothing, just a good day.” “Is that right?” Michael cut in, voice dripping with sarcasm and laced with venom. I cut him a hard glare, and Liam set his jaw and leaned over to him. He whispered, well, didn’t really whisper, he wasn’t quite good at that, but you can’t blame him for trying. “I know what you did yesterday.”

Michael swore and jumped up from his chair and grabbed Liam by his shirt, pulling him up out of the chair. A squeak left my mouth, but a dry chuckle just left Liam’s, him not doing anything at all to fight back.

“Hey, Michael, you put that boy down right now, was the double detention you got for skipping yesterday’s not enough?” Michael threw Liam back in his seat at the teacher's words, crossing his arms and slamming back down into his own.

“Detention each Tuesday and Thursday for the next month, be there or you’ll be getting suspended, understood?” Michael glared at the teacher defiantly for a moment and then lowered his gaze, giving a sharp nod.

The teacher wrote something down and then walked to the front of the room, uncapping his expo marker and beginning a logarithm on the board. After about two sample problems, which even I had some difficulty with, there was a knock at the door. Mr. Montgomery put down his marker and went to the door, opening it.

“May I speak to Michael, please?” came the light voice blocked from sight by the teacher. Like sheep, the entire class’s attention shifted to Michael at once, and for the first time since I laid eyes on him, that boy looked scared.

Michael stood up slowly when the teacher motioned for him. As he walked to the front of the room, he cut his gaze over to the corner where the dumbfound jock from yesterday was sitting, his phone in his hand and eyes staring at the floor. “Snitch.” Michael hissed as he passed, making the boy flinch.

With a resolute sigh, Michael bypassed the teacher and entered the hallway, the door shutting behind him. The teacher resumed his work at the board, and I couldn’t help but notice the slight grin on Liam’s face, which grew every now and then, and he even snorted at one point, muffling his laughter with his hand.  
“Liam, do you need to move so that you can actually pay attention to my lesson?” The teacher asked with a sigh, obviously fed up with Liam’s intermittent outbursts. “I’m good.” He said composing himself for the time being.

“Liam,” I whispered, poking him with the butt of my pencil. “Hmm?” “What’s so funny?” “You’ll see, in about ten seconds.” He said, looking to his watch and then to the door.

“What are y-“ Sure enough, exactly ten seconds later, the door crept open slowly and Michael trudged through, head down. Liam sat up eagerly in his seat, feet tapping against the floor in an annoying, repetitive pattern. When Michael was about to cross the threshold of the room, he picked his head up and sniffed, and oh my god, he was crying.

Not like sobbing or anything too drastic, but there were tear tracks on his cheeks and his eyes were red-rimmed, glossy from unshed tears. There was a collective gasp across the room, save be for Liam’s reaction. He just busted out laughing, full on chortling at this point. Everyone’s gaze snapped to him, along with Michael’s murderous one.

“Dude,” I said, but he was too busy falling apart, cracking up too much to pay any mind to me. The teacher looked back quizzically at us, but I just shrugged. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the board. Liam started to wipe at his eyes, settling down some.

Michael huffed and stalked back to his chair, sliding into it hard enough to cause it to move across the floor. He rubbed roughly at his eyes with his sleeve and pushed his hair back from his face, rubbing at his neck and wincing.

When he pulled away from his hands, I could see perfect little fingerprint-shaped bruises on the back of his neck, like someone had manhandled him, which I couldn’t see anyone doing to someone like Michael. Liam must have noticed the bruises as well because he started up another round of laughter, pointing at Michael and choking out between breaths, “Oh, how the mighty fall!”

Michael growled and slammed his hand down on the desk, sniffling as he did so. “I’m not going to warn you two again.” The teacher said, menacingly pointing his marker between the pair of them. Liam composed himself and went back to doing his work. Michael crossed his arms and glowered, sniffing and hiccupping every now and again like a child.

I looked out of the corner of my eye and watched as Michael stared daggers at the jock across the classroom, who was practically withering in his seat. “No classwork today, also no homework. There will be a quiz on this material on Monday, so I suggest practicing some sample problems online. You may speak quietly amongst yourselves for the remainder of class, and I mean, quietly.” He looked across the classroom, gaze pointedly falling on my little section of people and lingering.

“Liam, what’s the deal with Michael?” I whispered, watching Michael sit miserably in his desk, looking like a sad, neglected child. “He just got a good talking to, it’s no big deal.” “Oh, ok. So, any hints on tonight?” Liam smiled and winked, “None that I’m gonna tell you.” I rolled his eyes at his cheeky comment, “Asshole.”


	24. Blind Leading the Blind

The bell sounded and we all began to stand up, Michael doing so almost reluctantly. “Come on, Lewis,” Liam called, already bouncing on his feet by the door. I gave Michael one last glance and filed out after Liam. We walked down the hall and to the lunchroom door, but before we went in, Liam stopped me and pulled me over to the wall.

“What are w-“ “Shhh, just wait and watch.” As we stood there, waiting for whatever was going to happen, Harry and Zayn came out with a tide of people. “What are you two doing?” Zayn asked, trying to kiss Liam. Liam pushed his face away with one hand and shushed him as well, pointing down the hallway.

Harry looked at me quizzically and I shrugged, continuing to look at whatever Liam wanted me to see. Michael finally rounded the corner of the hallway, hurrying down the path alone with his head down and hurried steps. Liam smacked my arm excitedly and beamed, so I’m guessing that’s what he’s been waiting for.

“Why does Michael smell, I mean, uh, seem so sad?” Zayn asked, awkwardly coughing after his strange mix-up of words. “You’ll see.” Michael made it almost to the lunchroom door, then froze and dropped his head back, mouthing a quiet “fuck.”

“Michael. Where do you think you’re going?” Luke stepped from out of the hallway, arms crossed and cane tapping incessantly against the floor.

“To, uh, l-look for you.” He stuttered, voice high and unnatural. “Don’t lie to me. Come here, we still need to talk.” The way Luke spat out the word “talk,” I highly doubt that’s what they’ll really be doing. Michael shrunk in on himself and shuffled back over to Luke, standing next to him with a bowed head. Luke put his hand on the base of Michael’s spine and ushered him back into the main hallway, head held high and stride longs and purposeful as he swept his cane in front of himself.

“What did Michael do?” Harry asked head cocked at the interaction. He looked like a confused puppy, it was adorable. “Tried to beat me up, Luke caught wind of it,” Liam replied, shrugging and still smiling.

Zayn snapped his head up from where he was texting on his phone, looking to Liam with wide eyes and his lip raised up in a sort of snarl. “He did what?” “Calm down, I’m fine, barely even picked me up off the ground,” Liam said, pecking Zayn’s lips like a confirmation. “Mhmm,” Zayn said, slowly going back to playing on his phone.

“Come on, let’s get food,” Harry said, bumping my shoulder and walking towards the lunchroom entrance. We all filed in behind him, Harry in front, Zayn behind him with Liam a little off to the side from him, and me at the back. It was like a natural order.

Harry went up to the counter first and placed his order, along with Zayn and Liam’s. Liam’s order itself was enough to feed an army, and he just shrugged with a smile, “Don’t judge me, all I had for breakfast was a muffin.” “What do you want, Lou?” He asked, looking back to me before he scanned his lunch card.

“Oh, nothing, I’m fine,” I said. I really didn’t want him to pay for me, I could fend for myself. “Right. And he’ll have a banana with chocolate milk.” He ordered, completely ignoring my answer. I scoffed and kicked at his shin lightly, getting a smirk in return.

The lunch lady placed the trays on the counter and I just took my two things off if it, not needing a whole tray for the items. As we turned to walk out, Harry stopped in his tracks and cocked head to the side, turning around slowly and looking across the bustling lunchroom.

He pursed his lips and whistled a short tune, like how you would whistle for your dog. A moment later, the whistle was relayed by some unknown person and Harry smiled, resuming his voyage outside. I swear to god this is the weirdest school. They communicate in bells and whistles and Latin, for Christ’s sake. Next thing I know someone is going to try to talk to me through interpretive dance.

“Who were you looking for?” Zayn asked. “Tyler. I didn’t see him this morning.” Harry said, getting a nod in return from Zayn. Unspoken, Harry fell back behind Liam and Zayn to my side, his pace matching mine in seconds.

“I see you’re still wearing that necklace.” He said, looking pointedly at the pendant. I had gotten so used to it that I didn’t even notice it was there, ”Oh, yeah, I really like it.” Harry smiled and looked down like he was trying to hide his blush. Why would he be bashful?

“Hey, why did you get me lunch? I would have been fine.” I said, steering the topic away from the mysterious necklace. “You were hungry.” “Well, yeah, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy me something. What if I don’t even like bananas and chocolate milk?” He laughed and winked, “You like bananas and chocolate milk.” “Yeah, I do,” I admitted with a smile.

We reached the tree and sat down, spreading out and eating our lunches in companionable silence. Well, I spread out from them, but Harry has turned into the human representation of a leech. He was stuck to my hip, elbow-bumping mine every time he went to take a bite of pizza and me a bite of my banana.

The funniest part of lunch was when he and I took a bite of food at the same time and made eye contact, his eyes falling to the phallic shaped object I was snacking on. His face turned red and he looked away, coughing from the pizza that was choking him and Zayn started cackling at the pair of us; Liam lost and my face bright red.

“Priceless,” Zayn muttered, going back to eating his cup of yogurt. “Wait, what did I miss?” Liam asked, out of the loop on the joke. “Oh, nothing. Just Harry imagining Louis sucking his dick.” Zayn said, rushing the last part of the sentence out like he was expecting the blow from Harry that was sure to come.

Sure enough, Zayn’s yogurt was knocked from his hand and sent flying and a swift kick was delivered to his hip, one that shoved him across the grass a few feet and would surely leave a bruise. Zayn kept laughing, and Harry was beet red, just glaring at this point. I was red too, still chewing the last bit of my banana. Liam busted out laughing, falling back on the grass with Zayn.

“This is the best day of my life.” Zayn wheezed, clutching his stomach from laughing. Harry was sitting with his arms crossed and legs folded beneath him, pout making him look like a peeved three-year-old. He watched Liam and Zayn roll about for a few more seconds, then slammed his hand on the ground beside him and yelled, “Stop,” voice sounding darker and more ominous than ever.

It even shocked me a little bit. Immediately, Liam and Zayn sat back up, features now somber and laughter long gone, save for Liam’s hiccups. Liam lowered his gaze, twisting his foot. Harry glared for a moment longer and then, as the sun had emerged, his features grew light once more and a small smile quirked his lips, teeth starting to peek out. “It was kind of funny, wasn’t it?”

We all laughed after that and resumed our eating and playful banter. Done with my banana, I just sipped on my milk and contributed to the conversation occasionally. Harry flung his pizza crust like a boomerang at Liam’s head, hitting him square between the eyes and leaving a line of grease, making everyone extremely amused except for Liam.

Zayn took a picture of the pouting, pizza covered Liam on his phone, making Liam scoff and lurch at him to get the phone and erase the embarrassing picture. Zayn stood up and ran away, shoving the phone in his front pocket. Liam hopped up and began the chase, futilely trying to take down Zayn.

Now I see where the rumor of Zayn’s athleticism comes from. He can make hairpin turns and jump over stuff easily, speed incomparable. Liam was nearly just as fast, lunging and cutting off Zayn with dexterity and deftness.

Zayn would swing by and poke Liam then run away, laughing as Liam steamed in frustration. While they hopped and played about, they laughed and yelled and growled and yipped, I’m not sure how else to describe the last two sounds.

“They’re like puppies,” Harry muttered, watching the pair with a fond smile. Liam finally barreled into Zayn’s side, making him stumble and nearly fall, but he held Liam and himself up, the former clinging to the latter like a tree. Liam plucked the phone from Zayn’s pocket and smiled, pecking him on the lips and they walked back over to Harry and me, hands intertwined and breathing labored.

“Are you two very much done?” Harry asked, an amused grin twitching at the corner of his mouth. Liam nodded, too breathless for words, and sat down heavily in Zayn’s lap, laying his head back on his chest. As soon as they got comfortable, the bell tolled in the distance, making the pair of the groan and Harry and I laugh, helping them stand up. We bagged our trash and walked towards the school, well, Harry and I walked; Liam and Zayn trudged.

As we walked down the hall, myself tucked neatly under Harry’s arm, Luke’s group of people rounded the corner walking in our direction. Harry whistled and Zayn perked up, leaving Liam in the back and walking to where he was right next to Harry. Harry detached himself from me and stepped in front of me, leaving me next to Liam. They did this with fluidity like they had practiced it a thousand times before, though I had no clue why this little system is necessary.

Ahead, Luke’s friends seemed to be doing the same, Luke and Calum in front, Ashton and Hailee behind them, and Michael and Niall in the back. My brothers stood off to the side from all of them, looking just as lost as I was. I don’t know what was up with this little turf war between Luke and Harry, but it was the most peculiar thing I had ever witnessed.

Calum looked around Harry and waved at me, smiling widely, “Hello, gorgeous.” He said, winking afterward.

Harry immediately stepped in front of me, blocking Calum’s view of me and crossing his arms. “No.” Was all he said, and Calum laughed, “Calm down, Cujo.”

“Cal, please, control yourself,” Luke said, waving his hand dismissively. I tugged on the back of Harry’s shirt, getting his attention for a distracted second. “What’s going on?” I asked quietly. “I have no clue.” He said, taking back up his defensive stance. The boys looked like they were about to throw hands, and I really didn’t feel like getting sent home for fighting, especially in my first week of school.

“We all need to get to class, so I’ll make this quick,” Luke said, tucking his cane under his arm and snapping his fingers. Immediately, Michael jolted from his daydream and walked up to Luke, head ducked and feet shuffling.

“Michael here would like to apologize for his behavior, for this morning and as of late, wouldn’t you, Mikey?” Michael nodded and mumbled a small, “I’m sorry,” getting a pat on the back from Luke and then he shuffled back to the back of the group beside Niall, never lifting his head.

Ben caught my eye and mouthed, “What is going on?” And all I could do was a shrug, lost myself. “Especially for yesterday afternoon, I shouldn’t have allowed a run, my apologies on that incident.” Luke continued, bowing his own head. Harry remained silent throughout this entire exchange, never moving or taking his eyes off of Luke.

“Is that all?” Harry asked, voice gravely and clipped. His tone of voice even made me flinch a bit. Luke nodded curtly and turned around grasping Calum’s arm gently as he set off for his class, everyone leaving at once, my brother’s trailing behind like lost puppies. Harry whistled lowly once more and Zayn kissed Liam quickly, then hurried off to his own class, Harry stepping back and wrapping his arm around me once more.

“Was that about this morning?’ I asked as we completed the short distance to the Latin classroom, Harry radiating tension. “Among other things.” He said cryptically, opening the door for me to walk through. “Ignore Calum,” I said as I passed, twitching my nose. Harry visibly relaxed, tension dissipating immediately. So that’s what had him so uptight.

The entire lesson Harry was touching me somehow, be it his arm across the back of my chair or his foot hooked around my own, he never left me alone. It was endearing, but also annoying after the thirtieth time he bumped you and made you draw a line across your paper.

He walked with Liam and me all the way to the gym doors, even though his class was in the complete opposite direction. As we went to walk in, Calum walked out, fringe dripping with sweat and athletic shirt clinging to his frame. I’m not going to lie, Calum definitely wasn’t sore on the eyes, but Harry still had him beat by miles.

Speaking of Harry, he was puffed up to twice his normal size, looming over Calum with his lip curled. I swear on everything holy, these boys act more like dogs than people. Calum rolled his eyes at Harry and edged by him, still winking at me, though, getting a shove from Harry. Calum snickered and continued on down the hallway, running a hand through his saturated hair.

Harry dropped his stance and gave us a toothy grin, a complete 180 from his hard, menacing front from before. “Bye guys, see you after school.” He said, flicking my nose as he left. I wrinkled it and grinned, watching his receding frame fondly.

“Sickening,” Liam said, rolling his eyes as we continued to the locker room. “What’s sickening?” I asked, setting my bag on the bench. “You two, it’s like fluffiness overload.” “Like you’re one to be talking.” I retorted, sticking my tongue out at him. “True. Come on, I’ll race you to the gym.”

After the gym, we were sweaty, tired, and smiling. Liam and I were on the same team to capture the flag and turns out that we were quite the dynamic duo. Liam would sprint onto the other side and everyone guarding would watch him, waiting for him to dart in and grab one of the flags, while I snuck in on the side and took the flag silently, slinking out unnoticed.

After the third flag in reconnaissance, the other team started to catch on and were a little bit more wary of me, but they still paid full attention every time Liam made a move. Idiots.

We walked down the hall with sweat dripping down our foreheads, recapping all the times we outsmarted the other team for the victory. We stopped at our lockers to throw in all of our stuff, not needing anything for the weekend. We walked into the lot and went straight to where Zayn and Harry were parked, but there was another car between the Rover and the Camaro.

It was possibly the nicest car I had ever had the privilege of witnessing in my entire life. It was a new model, matte burgundy Audi r8. “Who’s car is that?” I asked, voice in awe. “Mine,” Liam said, voice smug and smiling in pride. “Holy shit.” “Yep.”

“I see you’ve met Liam’s pride and joy?” Harry asked, climbing out of his Rover with a teasing grin. “That’s my baby, Styles,” Liam said. “I thought I was your baby?” Zayn asked, coming around the vehicle after exiting his own car. “Jesus, you’re both my babies, problem solved,” Liam said, being wrapped up in a hug by Zayn and kissing him deeply. They parted after a second or ten, flushed and grinning.

“Do you want to sit in it, Lewis?” Liam asked, unlocking the car with a click. I don’t even care that he called me Lewis, he could call me Antoine and I would answer if he let me sit in this gift from God. I practically skipped to the passenger door and opened it, climbing in without a moment’s hesitation. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Liam said with a chuckle, climbing into the driver’s door.

The interior was just as sleek and beautiful as I thought it would be, all matte black and shiny chrome and twinkling lights. Liam pressed the start button and it roared to life, the navigation screen showing the logo and then opening to a satellite map of the area, red lights that illuminated the floorboard casting an eerie glow over my feet, picking up the white trim of my sneakers.

“I think I’m in love,” I whispered, running a hand lightly across the spotless dash. “My reaction when I got it precisely,” Liam said, adjusting a few things on the dash. A rapping on the windshield pulled me from my stupor, Liam rolling down the window so that Harry could lean in.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but your brothers are about five seconds away from killing me if I don’t hand you over,” Harry said, pointing back to where Ben and Jack were looking at the car, arms crossed. “Hey, why don’t I drop you off at home so that I can see where we need to pick you up tonight, and you’ll get to ride in the car?” Liam offered, revving the engine some to elicit an affirmation from me.

I nodded quickly and leaned out of the door, waving to Ben and Jack. “I’ll see you two at home, Liam is going to give me a ride!” I yelled, shutting the door back before they could oppose. Ben rolled his eyes and turned, Jack following a little more slowly, looking back questioningly.

“Bye guys. I’ll see you tonight, Lou.” Harry said, rubbing the back of his hand on my arm. I gave a small wave and rolled the window back up, watching Harry get back into his car and put on his sunglasses.

Liam poked my cheek, “No fawning, we’re having a dude moment.” I tore my eyes off of Harry and smiled, putting on my seatbelt and brushing my hair back out of my eyes.

“Let’s go.”


	25. A Table For My Bread and Curtains For Your Home

That. Was. Epic.

I grinned and squealed like a kid in a candy shop for the entirety of the trip, nose smushed against the glass like I had never seen the sights before. I directed Liam through the winding turns of my neighborhood, right up to my house.

“This is it,” I said, unbuckling as the car came to a stop at the end of the driveway. “Alright, I’ll see you tonight,” Liam said, waving as I shut the door. As he went to pull off, I waved and caught his attention, getting him to roll down the window.

“Do you think you’ll be able to remember where the house is?” I asked, wondering if I should give him written directions or something. He laughed, “Well if I don’t, I’m sure Harry will.” "How will Harry know?” “Look behind me.”

I pulled my head out the window and looked back down the street, where I saw Harry waiting, pulled over to the side of the road. “Did he follow us the whole way here?” “Yup. See you later, Louis.”

Liam rolled the window back up and pulled off, going back out the way we came in instead of taking the loop. As he passed, Harry pulled away from the curb silently and made a U-turn, following Liam back out.

I shook my head at him and turned towards my door, pausing to look into the woods as I walked up to the steps. I feel bad about not going to see Moose, almost like I’m abandoning him or something. I sighed and went inside, kicking off my shoes by the door and throwing my bookbag down. I walked through the kitchen quickly, ready to get upstairs and take another shower before tonight, I only had about two hours and a piece to spare.

“Who gave you a ride home?” My mom asked as she sat at the counter, flipping idly through a magazine. I jumped about a foot in the air, scared to death by her sudden apparition.

“Oh, Liam did. He wanted to see where I lived so that they could find me tonight.” She “hmm-ed” and flipped the page, cocking her eyebrow. “I’m gonna go get ready now,” I said, easing out of the room and then bounding up the stairs, shouldering past an innocent Jack leaving the bathroom.

I turned the shower on and stripped, grabbing my phone before I got in. Let’s face it, who doesn’t play on their phone while waiting on the shower to heat up, usually naked? You know what I’m talking about.

I opened my messages and replied to a few courtesy check-ins from my old friends (friend, as in singular) from back home, responding with the usual “I’m doing fine.” Next, I clicked on Harry’s contact, biting my lip before sending **“Practicing your stalker skills, I see,”** and setting the phone down like it was on fire, never one for really sending risky texts.

I stuck my hand in the shower and felt that it was warmed up enough, so I slid in and started lathering my hair, humming some crack song. Halfway through an Onision song, I heard a ding and a vibration from my phone, and I shot my head out of the shower like someone just screamed “free bacon!”

I could see that the phone was lit up, but I couldn’t read the screen from here. I swore under my breath and pulled my head back into the shower, rinsing my hair and washing my body quickly before climbing out and toweling off quickly. I slid on my underwear and hung the towel on the back of the door once more, finally picking my phone up.

I clicked it on and nearly had a heart attack, died, and went to homosexual heaven. **{You ain’t seen nothing yet, babes.}** with a winky face was on my screen, scrawled out in black, size 11 font, Harry’s contact name heading the gift from God. I squealed and clutched my phone to my chest, doing a little dance in my underwear in the middle of a foggy bathroom.

“You, uh, having a moment in there Louis?” Came Jack’s gruff voice through the door, making me freeze mid-dab. “Um, n-no,” I said, laughing awkwardly at the end and picking up my clothes quickly, pushing the door open with eyes cast to the floor.

Jack stood there expectantly, tapping his foot and looking at his metaphorical watch. “You been in there long enough Shortbus?” He asked, shouldering past me to get into the steamy bathroom. “Jesus Christ, are you running a sauna in here or something?” He asked, coughing as he shut the door.

I rolled my eyes and sprinted to my room, only one hour, 45 minutes, and 32 seconds and counting left before Harry’s expected arrival. I threw all of my dirty clothes into the hamper with a rather miscalculated throw, the clothing items smacking against the wall and falling haphazardly to the floor and maybe one or two things into the hamper itself. Never was any good at basketball.

Crap, we’re down to one hour 44 minutes, it’s going to take me that long to pick out an outfit.

I stood in front of my closet and stared, nothing catching my eye. All of my clothes were either too bland, too flamboyant, or too casual. I swear to you I have more pairs of gray sweatpants than brain cells. After ten solid minutes of staring in sheer exasperation, I admitted defeat and called in backup.

“Jack!” I yelled, flopping onto my bed with a flourish, limbs cast out dramatically. A few seconds later, he trudged into my room with a peeved look, hair ruffled. “I was going to take a nap, you know?” He said, looking completely done with me.

“But I have a date thing, and I don’t know what to wear,” I whined, kicking my legs for emphasis.

“What are you, fucking gay?” He asked, getting a glare from me. “Too far, too far. Okay, umm, I don’t know, I’ve never dated scary men. Hell, I’ve never dated men. Just, Wiki-How it or something.”

“Well aren’t you just handy Dan. And Harry’s not scary. Maybe more along the lines of intimidating. And it’s not a date.” Jack rolled his eyes and shrugged, leaving my room without helping me whatsoever. I wish that I had a sister. I do have a mother, though. No, I can’t call her, she’ll just try to dress me like a toddler going to church on Sunday morning.

I looked at my phone and sighed, opening it and going to my contacts. Last resort, I skimmed down until I landed on Liam’s contact, clicking on the call button. He’s my only other gay (or bi or pan, I’m not sure on the definitive sexualities.)

After a few rings, he picked up with a deep “hello,” sounding like he had just woken up. “Um, sorry to bother, I need fashion advice from another gay, bi, whatever person, the straights in this house are blind to my aesthetic,” I said, running a hand through my drying hair.

“Gay, just to clear it up. I’m gay, Z is gay, and Haz is… Harry is just Harry.” “Oh, well, I need help picking out an outfit. I want to look good, but I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, understand?” Liam laughed again, springs on what I guess was a couch or bed squeaking as he sat up.

“God, you sound like such a stereotypical gay, I love it. Well, You can’t sit and describe every outfit in your closet to me. Give me a second.” “Give you a s- Liam?”

The line had gone dead, a dial-tone greeting my ear. I pulled the phone away from my head and looked at where it said “call ended,” frowning. As I went to call him back, thinking it got disconnected somehow, my phone began to vibrate, **“Incoming Facetime Call from Liam.”**

I clicked on accept and the screen lagged for a second before Liam’s face appeared on the screen, at a weird angle like he was holding the phone on his chest. The real king of selfie angles right there. “Hey, buddy.” He said, waving at the screen like a child. I waved back and laughed, holding the phone above my face in the air, scratching at my jaw. “Help me,” I said, sticking out my bottom lip for emphasis.

“You needy child. Okay, turn the camera around and walk to your closet, let me see what we’re working with.” I did as ordered and flipped the camera around, plodding over to the closet and scanning the phone slowly in front of it, watching Liam’s eyes dart across the screen meticulously.

“Okay, go with a pair of black jeans, they never fail and they go with everything. Plus they make that ass look ah-mazing. Now, pull out the grey thing on the hanger near the left, yep that one, and the two white shirts side by side in the middle, the striped monstrosity on the far right, and that gray button up thing right where your hand is.

Now, set up your phone on the bed or something where I can see you and model them for me, I can’t tell shit from just looking at a piece of clothing, I have to see how it fits. God, now I sound like the stereotypical gay.”

I followed his every instruction and leaned the phone up against some pillows where you had a clear view of my room, leaning over to grab the pair of pants from a drawer. I slid them up with a little bit of shimmying required, making Liam giggle as I jumped to get them over my butt.

I stuck my tongue out at him and grabbed the shirt off of the top of the stack, the light gray hoodie, and slid it on, cuffing the long sleeves a little. I shook out my shoulders and turned slowly in front of the phone, showing all angles.

“Eh, it would look good on me, not you though. Washes you out, you have too fair of a complexion.” I pouted and pulled the top back off over my head, casting it to the side.

“Okay then, off to the next.” I picked up the button up and started buttoning, getting about halfway up before Liam shook his head, tsking like a teacher. “Nope, take it off. We’re not going to prom, we’re going to where I can’t tell you.”

I sighed and started unbuttoning it once more. “Why is Louis stripping for you?” I looked up from my task to see Zayn standing in the doorway behind Liam, squinting at the phone in Liam’s hand. “Hey, Zayn! I yelled, waving quickly and going back to undressing.

“I’m helping him pick out an outfit,” Liam said, patting the seat by him. I heard springs compress, probably from Zayn sitting down. Through the phone, I heard what was definitely Harry’s voice go “What do you mean Louis is stripping for Liam?”

I dropped the shirt off my shoulders and picked the phone up off of the bed, carrying it with me to my desk chair. On the screen, Harry’s head stuck around the corner of the open doorway, hair covered in what looked like soap.

Liam turned around to look at him, bursting out laughing once he caught sight of him. “Jesus, Haz, is that shampoo in your hair? Did you just give up mid-shower?”

“No, he heard that Louis was stripping.” Zayn giggled, looking back at Harry as well. “Sorry guys, I’m not stripping. I just need to talk to Liam.” I said, waving slightly at Harry. He waved back, something dropping to the floor. OH. That was his towel. Dropping to the floor. I covered my eyes and laughed, then heard a lot of swearing and laughter from the other side of the line.

“Yeah, Harry, I’m helping Louis with something. Scram.” I heard a groan and I peeked between my fingers to make sure the coast was clear. “You’re good, his snooping ass is gone. Now, put on the striped thing. It looks wretched, but we’ll give patterns a whirl.

I dug through the pile of clothes and pulled out what he was talking about, some gray and black striped sweater that I don’t remember ever buying. Probably a hand-me-down from Ben or Jack.

I pulled it over my head and adjusted it, the sleeves lapping over the tips of my fingers and the length about mid-thigh. It swamped me. I looked up to see what Liam thought, and he just had his hands clasped together under his chin, looking fondly at the screen.

“Well?” I asked, spinning around to give him the full experience. “Aren’t you just the cutest damn thing?” He said, grinning widely. “So wear this one?” I asked, looking down at the shirt.

“Definitely. I could eat soup out of those collar-bones they’re delicious. Ooh, and wear your black high-tops. God, I feel like a proud father.” I nodded and shuffled around in my closet, pulling out the shoes in question.

“Damn babe, you’re gonna look hot. Okay, finish getting ready now, I’ll see you in about an hour.” “Thank you so much. Bye Liam, bye Zayn!” They waved and the line went dead.

Oh my god, did he say an hour?

I have never in my life dried, brushed and quiffed my hair that fast. It was like some type of record. As I stood in front of the mirror making my finishing touches, I looked out of the window from the force of habit. For the first time since I’d started getting visits and visiting the wolves, there wasn’t anyone outside. Not Moose, Sandy, Happy-Boy, not even Satan or his midget better half. It was weird, I’m used to them lurking about at this point.

I looked back into the mirror, ran a hand through my hair one more time and pulled the necklace out of the shirt and displayed it up front, smiling at my reflection. I looked good. I sat down on the bed and pulled on my shoes, lacing them up and making sure the cuffs of the jeans were tucked in all the way around.

With a sigh and a quick sweep around the room to make sure I didn’t forget anything, I pulled my phone off of the charger and pocketed it, skipping down the stairs and into the living room to wait the last fifteen minutes.

“Are you excited?” My mom asked as I sat down, muting her cooking show. “Yea, I mean it’s no big deal, just an outing with some bros, off to do some bro stuff,” I said, blowing it off.

“Mhm. Well, here, you’ll need this.” Mom said, reaching in her pocket and handing me some twenty’s, at least three. I looked back and forth from her to the money incredulously, she never gives out money, like we had to do chores to deserve the cash.

“Don’t look at me like that, you’ll need some cash for whatever you all do. Speaking of, what are you doing?” I pocketed the cash, “I have no clue, Haz won’t tell me.” “Well, just be safe, whatever you get into.”

As I went to respond, I saw lights flicker on the wall, and that only happens when someone pulls into the driveway. “Oh my god, they’re here,” I said breathlessly, a little bit too excited. “Calm down Louis, you’re going to give yourself a stroke.”

The doorbell rang and I sprinted, I mean walked calmly, coolly, and collectively to the door, hands definitely not shaking. I opened it with a smile plastered on my face, the beam reflected back off of Harry.

“Hi,” I whispered, playing with the doorknob. “Hey.” He whispered back, tugging on his bottom lip. “Hello!” My mom interjected, ripping the door the rest of the way open. Totally cool mom, just gr8.

“Um, hi, you must be Miss Tomlinson?” Harry asked, sticking out his hand for her to shake. She grasped it firmly {ha} and looking him over as she shook it, I could tell everything she was thinking just by the way her lips twitched or her posture changed. She looked at his leather jacket with a Rolling Stones shirt underneath it, lip twitch, she’s not too impressed.  
Continues down over the attire and back up, back straightening some as she saw a few of his tattoos peeking out and his wild hair like she was squaring herself up. As they separated, he gave her a warm smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets, looking like your good-old-fashioned boy-next-door.

Finally, she smiled at him. Crisis averted, Jay approves. From behind Harry stepped Liam and Zayn, I didn’t even notice them. Well, who needs to notice anything when Harry Styles is in front of you, amirite?

“Oh, you must be Zayn and Liam, right?” She asked, taking their hands as well. They introduced themselves respectively and talked with my mom for a second, leaving Harry and me to our own little bubble. “You excited?” he asked, eyes twinkling. “Ecstatic.”

I looked over to where my mom and Liam were having an extensive conversation on drapery, and Liam calls me the stereotypical gay.

“I think they’re going to get along,” Harry whispered in my ear, leaning against the door-jam, listening to their captivating dialogue on the pros and cons of machine over hand stitching. Enthralling material.

Mom grabbed Liam’s wrist and drug him into the kitchen, rambling about some china set she has that was a limited edition. Zayn followed behind like a lost puppy, facial features the epitome of confused.

“Well, that’s going to take a while, that China set is her pride and joy. Do you want to go sit on the couch and wait?” I offered, twiddling my thumbs. Harry nodded and followed me back into the living room, plopping down on the loveseat by me and throwing his arm across the back of it, one leg resting on the other knee. We sat there for a second, then Harry looked at me with the ghost of a grin on his face. “Hi.”

I went into a fit of giggles, covering my mouth with my sweater paw. “Didn’t we already get through the formalities?” I asked. “You can never introduce yourself too much.” We laughed together and fell back into our usual comfortable silence, Harry’s fingers somehow ending up playing in my hair.

I leaned into the touch, not even caring that he’s most likely destroying my laborious quiff. I heard the tell-tale thuds of my brother’s descending the stairs and opened my eyes, watching them stampede through the downstairs, most likely heading outside to work out and do other manly shit that seemed completely unnecessary and nothing but a battle of the brawn to me. They never came out of the kitchen, so they probably ran into Mom and her victims.

“Wow, your brother’s really don’t like Zayn,” Harry said, widening his eyes and nodding his head slightly. “How do you know?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. “I can hear it in the way they speak to him, jeez they have a hard edge of voice. Don’t like Liam too much either, or that’s just Ben. Jack sounds pretty chill with Li.”

“How, do you hear them, I don’t hear anything?” I said, straining my ears to hear even the slightest of a murmur. “Oh, um, I just have really good hearing, like a bat,” Harry said, pointing repeatedly to his ears. “That’s interesting. Any other talents?” “Uh, I can burp out a birthday candle.” “Now that’s talent.”

We busted into another fit of laughter, which ebbed away once my brothers walked into the room, eyes cold and hard. Well, Ben looked stone-cold, Jack was more lukewarm.

“I see you two are all shits and giggles,” Ben said, grabbing his bag from next to the couch. “Mostly giggles. The only person here that’s full of shit is you.” I said, sticking my tongue out at him. Next to me, Harry snorted and covered his mouth, coughing to cover it up. “ See you later Lucifer, have fun on your date,” Ben said, hissing out the last word as he stalked to the back door, slinging it open so fast I’m surprised the poor thing didn’t fall off its hinges.

“Oh, I will.” Ben rolled his eyes and slammed the screen door open, letting it bang against the exterior of the house. Jack gave me a sympathetic smile and at least had the decency to nod politely at Harry before following Ben out of the house, steps a little less harsh.

I sighed and looked over to Harry, my eyes falling to where he had a death grip on a throw pillow, knuckles white from the tension, his eyes trained on the door my brothers just exited through. “Are you okay?” I asked, poking his cheek.

Instantly his features relaxed and he looked at me with a soft smile, abandoning strangling the pillow and poking my cheek in return, “I’m fine.”

Just then, Mom and her new BFF’s exited the kitchen, Liam engaged in serious debate with her, wild hand motions included, Zayn like the husband dragged to the fabric shop, arms now laden with interior decorating and cooking magazines.

Zayn looked at Harry and me with an unspoken plea, so I took pity on him and stood up, clapping my hands. “It’s time we got going, don’t you think, Mom?” I stated, emphasizing “Mom.”

She looked up from her discussion and blinked like she had completely forgotten the reason Harry and everyone were here in the first place. “Oh, you’re right dear, I’m sorry. You all go on and have fun, be home around midnight please.” I agreed and gave her a quick hug, finally leaving the house with everyone.

“Well Louis, I’ll have you know that your mother is quite an informative person. I can now make soufflé, our own bread, and doilies to adorn the table Zayn is going to make with his Woodworking magazine he was just given.” Liam said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“You have to admit, that bread recipe did look really good,” Zayn said, smiling some. Liam stopped in his tracks, making us all come to a halt. He turned his head around quickly, fake smile consuming half of his face. “Then why don’t you make it, Martha Stewart.” He hissed, flicking Zayn’s nose.

Harry snorted and kept walking towards the car, him and I bypassing the couple’s quarrel. He opened the passenger door to his Rover for me, dramatically bowing. “Dork,” I said as I slid in, him shutting the door after me with a theatrical flourish and walking around to his side of the car and climbing in, starting up the car.

Liam and Zayn climbed into the backseat, the stack of magazines abandoned on the set between them. They both looked straight ahead with matching tense jaws and crossed arms, both the tough guy. That façade lasted about ten seconds. Zayn broke first, leaning across and kissing Liam. Immediately, Liam was back to his goofy self, lightly punching Zayn’s shoulder. Goals.

“Ready?” Harry asked, shifting the car into reverse and pulling out of the driveway. “Always.”

 


	26. Chocolate Threat Neutralized

We drove through town, Harry pointing out landmarks as we passed them, little stories accompanying. He had broken his nose at the skating rink, Liam and Zayn had their first kiss at the Mexican restaurant, it was just little adorable things.

We pulled into the parking lot of a crowded, neon-lit diner, “FAYE’S” scrawled across the top of the building framed by twinkling yellow lights. “What’s this?” I asked, peering out of the window at the groups of boys and girls in letterman jackets, parents with their children, and even men in suits flowed in and out of the bustling diner.

“Welcome to Faye’s, a staple here in town, and our first stop of the night.” Harry climbed out of the car and ran around to my side, like really fast, and opened the door for me, throwing his arm across my shoulders as we went to walk in. Liam and Zayn were walking similarly, heads close together in conversation over the cacophony of the masses.

We walked through the door and the noise only grew, the conversation now accompanied by bars of some country song drifting through the speakers of a ragged Jukebox, teenagers with quarters crowded around, waiting their turn.

“Harry, there’s nowhere to sit,” I whispered yelled, scanning the tables for an open seat, but I didn’t see any. “Just wait, I’ve got it taken care of.” He said, patting me on the back and moving away, leaving me with Liam and Zayn. He walked to the counter where there was a line of people waiting to pay, and he just bypassed all of them and went straight to the front, getting a few glares and passing remarks.

The dumpy older lady that was ringing up cards and cash looked up, and a huge smile split open across her face. “Why, is that my Hazzy? Oh, come here baby!” She proclaimed, walking from behind the counter and pulling Harry into a bone-crushing hug.

“Hey Mama Faye, you got my table?” He asked, pointing over to where Liam, Zayn, and I stood in a clump. She clasped her hands and smiled at us, then leaned up and whispered something into Harry’s ear, making him blush. Beside me, Liam snorted, Zayn grinning. “What?” I asked, not getting the joke. “She thinks you’re adorable,” Zayn said, playfully pinching at my cheek. “She does not, there is no way you heard that.” Liam grinned and shrugged his shoulders, leaning into Zayn’s side.

“You ready to sit down?” Harry asked, appearing from nowhere once again. Once I recovered from my heart attack, I nodded and grabbed onto his jacket hem, following him closely through the crowded restaurant to, well, I really don’t know where to, it’s packed out.

Like an oasis in the desert, an empty booth appeared in the back corner, set with silverware and vacant of any people. “How did you get an empty table?” I asked, sliding into the booth before Harry, Liam sitting opposite of me. “Perks of being your Aunt’s favorite.” He said with a smug grin, waving to someone behind the counter. The summoned person came out with flour on her nose, smiling widely at our table.

“Hey, baby Hazzy, is this your date?” She asked teasingly, making Harry blush and duck his head. “Yea, Allison, this is Louis.” I waved and itched my nose with my sleeve, sneezing afterward. “Oh my God, he’s like a kitten.” She said, covering her face with her hand. I blushed and ducked my head down, bashfully covering my face.

“Oh, hush now, Ally. We want the usual, Lou, what do you want to drink?” Harry asked, nudging me from my hiding spot with his arm. “Um, do you have chocolate milk?” I asked quietly, playing with my fingers .”I swear Harry, he is just the most precious little nymph!” Allison gushed, writing down my order alongside the others and leaving with a little wave to me in my pit of embarrassment.

“You really do love chocolate milk, don’t you?” Harry said, poking me in the stomach. I shrieked humiliatingly loud and furled in on myself, protecting my sensitive side from his dangerous fingers. Like he was uncovering one of the greatest wonders of the world, a grin split open Harry’s face and I saw murder in his eyes, and I subconsciously covered all visible ticklish surfaces.

_He knows._

“Don’t even try, asshole. I bite.” I said, scooting as far away from his in the booth as I possibly could. “That just makes me want to try even more.” He said devilishly, hand reaching for my exposed rib. “Harold, I am warning you.” “Too late.”

With his oddly cat-like reflexes, he darted his hand out and gouged the offending rib, making me slink halfway out of the booth in my frenzy to escape. Harry pulled his hand away finally, tears running from the sides of his eyes as he cackled, face red and nose crinkled.

“You could help, you know,” I said, stuck in my position halfway to the floor. Harry kept laughing and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me effortlessly back into the chair, Liam and Zayn cracking up across from us as well. “So the boy is ticklish, that will be remembered,” Liam said, laughing evilly.

“Assholes, the whole lot of you” I grumbled, pulling down my sweater where it had ridden up my stomach during my epic escape. “Sorry to interrupt loves, but here are your drinks,” Allison said, setting out three bottles of beer, and my milk was presented to me in a lovely glass with a blue bendy straw.

How adorable.

“How’d you get alcohol, you’re underage,” I whispered to Harry, eyeing the Bud Light. “Family business, family treatment.”

“Are you all ready to order?” Crap, I hadn’t even started to look at the menu. “You three go ahead, I’m going to peek at the menu,” I whispered to Harry, opening the neglected menu laying on the table in front of me. As I flipped through the booklet, Liam and Zayn ordered some types of burger, and Harry got like a full steak meal, sides and all.

“Ready hun?” Allison asked, nibbling on the end of her pencil. “Um, I want the grilled cheese,” I said, closing the menu and handing it to Zayn, who was holding the stack in his hand. “What sides?” “Oh, um, I want the kid's meal, just the sandwich,” I said quietly, getting incredulous looks from the trio.

“How don’t you starve?” Liam asked, eyes wide. “I just don’t get all that hungry,” I said with a shrug, taking a sip of my chocolate milk. “You poor, poor soul,” Zayn said, placing his hand over his heart.

As he said that, Faye walked over with a bowl of something in her hand, sitting it on the table with a wink and a finger over her lips. The bowl was full of roasted peanuts, and the trio immediately dug in, cracking them like there was no tomorrow. Faye patted Harry’s shoulder and bee-bopped back to the front of the diner, hips swaying to the beat of the ancient song playing over the surround sound system.

“I like her,” I said, taking a nut for myself and cracking it open gently, eating them one at a time like a civilized human. “Evwy one dosh,” Liam said through a mouthful of half-chewed peanuts, quite the mannerable display.

“Liam, were you raised by wolves? Jesus, learn some manners.” Zayn said, passing him a napkin with a grimace. “No, but you were,” Liam said grumpily, freezing after he spoke. Harry and Zayn froze as well, simultaneously looking at him with wide eyes. “Bad dum tiss,” Liam said, snickering forcibly.

“Yeah, hilarious.” Harry deadpanned, and from the way the seat shifted a little and Liam winced, I would say he just got kicked in the leg.

“Oh, here comes the food,” I said, and it was like whatever tension there was dissipated on cue. Smiles overtook their features and the peanuts were shoved away, space cleared for the plates. Liam and Zayn’s were delivered first, stacked burgers dripping with cheese, accompanied by fries and a bowl of steaming macaroni and cheese each.

Then, Harry’s was sat down, a monstrous steak with potatoes and broccoli piled around it on the plate. Then there was mine, one medium-sized platter with two triangular shaped pieces of grilled cheese, a little bowl of apple slices by it. “Those are on the house,” Allison said with a wink, topping off our glasses and leaving us to our food.

Liam looked sadly at my food and picked up his burger, taking a huge bite out of it and looking sympathetically as I nibbled the crust around the edge of one of my slices. “Good?” Harry asked from next to me, mashed potatoes already obliterated from existence and broccoli half gone. I nodded enthusiastically around the sandwich, giving a thumbs up with my other hand. He grinned back and continued eating, starting on cutting up the steak into manageable slices.

We all ate silently after that, occasionally sipping our drinks. Zayn finally cracked a joke at a greasy-faced Liam, who flipped him off in return. Harry started laughing hysterically, setting his fork down and throwing his head back as he cackled. I watched fondly from next to him at the way his eyes crinkled and his nose scrunched.

Then, it was like a light switch had been flipped on the atmosphere. Harry stopped mid-laugh and looked straight ahead, nostrils flaring. His eyes, I don’t even know, they like, flashed. For a split second, those weren’t Harry’s eyes. They took on a red hue, his jaw jutting out.

Liam squawked and flicked a fry at him, hitting him square in the face. He blinked in surprise and went he opened them again they were back to his shamrock green, shining with some emotion. There was a light bulb about ready to blow over us, the lighting must just have been off.

Nothing happened.

Zayn looked panicked for a second as well and snapped his head around, turning back to us with the same pissed look as Harry. “What’s he doing here?” Zayn asked, looking out of the window. I looked too and didn’t see anything. “What’s going on?” I asked, looking for whatever was psyching everyone out, but I couldn’t see anything. “Nothing,” Harry said, voice void.

“Harry.” Came a voice from the counter, drawing his attention. It was Faye, wiping her hands on her apron with furrowed brows. Harry nodded once and stood up, telling us that he’d be right back and walking through the partition into the kitchen.

Zayn nodded as well and sat there with his arms crossed, watching as Harry went into the kitchen. I heard his phone go off and he glanced at the screen before excusing himself and leaving, answering the phone as he walked out through the doors. Liam sat for a moment longer and then left out after him, people work better in pairs, y’ know.

And so that’s how I ended up sitting by myself in the middle of a diner, totally confused and a whole other half of sandwich to eat even though I was full. Double the predicament. I sat there like a lost child, kicking my feet and sipping on my waning milk. I reached over and stole a fry off of Zayn’s plate, nibbling on that while looking out of the window at the lights and passing people.

“Hello, pretty boy.” I jumped and looked in front of me, where Calum was seated with folded palms, twinkling eyes and charming smile intact. “Um, h-hi,” I said, nervously looking around for one of the boys to come back. Of course the only time I actually needed Harry near me, he was AWOL. Great, just smashing.

“What is a pixie like you doing sitting here all alone on a Friday night? I could give you some company, Y’know.” He purred, taking a fry from the plate before him and nibbling on the end of it, batting his lashes slowly. It was like he was trying to hypnotize me or something.

“Well, I’m here with Harry, so…” “Pity.” He ate another fry while continuing to maintain some rather awkward eye contact with me, somehow pulling off sensually eating a French fry.

I was about ready to just get up and leave to find somebody that I knew, anything to get away from Calum, but he sat down his fry with a smile and clapped his hands together, eyes darkening. “This is going to get interesting.” “What’s going to get interest-“ “Boo.”

If you’ve ever had someone that you are completely and utterly terrified of come up behind you and just barely trace your shoulder with their fingertips while their hot breath hits your ear, you might have a basic idea of what my reaction was.

Michael was standing behind me, lips pulled back in this toothy smile, much too animalistic to be genuine. I shrunk in on myself a little and looked around quickly, scanning for any of the boys. “Don’t bother, Harry’s preoccupied with Luke at the moment, you’re alone.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.”

Michael laughed and circled around to my side of the booth, sliding in uncomfortably close to me. Calum just sat there, fingers laced and chin resting in the cradle like he was watching baby birds or something.

“So, how is it that you and I never get to have any quality time?” Michael asked, spitting out quality like it was a swear. “Maybe it’s because I avoid you like the plague,” I said quietly, scooting up against the wall to escape his hulking figure. How is it that I can live somewhere for a week and have a bonafide enemy?

“Well, aren’t you just hilarious?” Michael asked, reaching out with his hand like he was going to cup my face. When fight or flight instinct takes over and there is no possible way that you can flee, and you have the fighting skills and overall bravery of a chicken nugget, you do the next best thing.

You throw the remainder of your chocolate milk on the threat.

Calum busted out laughing and Michael closed his eyes, clenching his fists as the frothy liquid dripped from his red hair and rode down the bridge of his nose. I held the glass in my hand, my only option left to break it over his head if he tried anything. Well, he didn’t get the chance to try anything.

Michael was promptly snatched out of the chair by an irate looking Niall, who was truly dwarfed by Michael’s mammoth frame. Michael tried to yank his arm from Niall, but the latter just held on and reached up to slap Michael in the back of the head.

“Don’t you try to fight me, bitch, I’ll knock your bloody brains out,” Niall said, thick even more prevalent now that he was angry. Michael jerked his arm from Niall and looked back at me tensing his jaw. “You’re lucky you’re Harry’s,” he whispered, shaking his head and stomping off through the restaurant, his milk-laden form getting some funny looks.

“I am so sorry,” Niall said, wringing his hands together, back to the small kitten I’ve come to know and love instead of the screaming badass he was a few moments prior. “Um, thanks?” He nodded and shuffled his feet; then stopped and looked at Calum, eyes narrowing and fearless Niall making his way back up to the surface.

“You.” He hissed, pointing an accusing finger so close to Calum’s face that his eyes crossed. “Me?” “Yes you, you useless waffle. Are you an idiot or just plain stupid? Would it kill you to help out every now and then?” Calum laughed and stood up from the booth, booping Niall in the nose and walking off, probably going to try and womanize some other defenseless creature. “Sorry, again,” Niall said, ducking his head and walking back out of the front of the restaurant. I am so confused.

“God I’m sorry I was gone so long, I had to talk to someone and I lost track of time,” Harry said, apologies starting as soon as he came into my field of vision. So now he decides to show up after the crisis was already averted by the means of a 5’7” hobbit.

“It’s ok, it happens,” I said, taking another bite of my sandwich. Harry nodded and went to sit down, but froze and narrowed his eyes, cocking his head to the side. “Why were Niall and Michael here? And Calum?” He asked, looking around the room. I have no clue how he would know that, but no use trying to pretend it didn’t happen.

“Well, you see-,”

“Guys, you just missed the funniest thing. Michael just stormed out of the front door completely covered in someone’s drink, then Niall came out yelling at him, and then Calum just followed them out with a handful of fries, eating them like he didn’t have a care in the world and World War Three wasn’t going down right in front of him. It was single-handedly the most comical thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing.” Liam said, laughing still as he walked up to us with Zayn in tow.

Liam looked at me and then at the table, nudging Zayn. Zayn looked at me and then the table and looked at Harry who did the same in turn. As a cohesive unit, they all looked at me, eyes zeroing in on the empty glass I was still holding.

“You didn’t,” Zayn whispered. “I, um, sorta did.” Harry was the first to crack from his shocked expression, doubling over with laughter, Liam and Zayn quick to follow. “You mean to tell me, that you, Louis Tomlinson, threw your drink at Michael Payne, right in his face?” Liam yelled, tears streaming down his face.

“Um, yeah?”

“This one’s a keeper, Harry,” Zayn said, looking at the empty glass and starting another round of laughter. “You’re telling me,” Harry said, with a smiled, the level of fond in his eyes at a super nuclear level.

“Alright, we need to go if we’re going to make it to our next spot in time,” Zayn said after a quick check of his watch. I nodded and sat down the last bite of my sandwich, carefully edging out of the booth to avoid the small splatters of Milk. I feel bad for making a mess.

“Come on, Ally will understand,” Harry said, seemingly reading my mind. “Where are we going now?” I asked, following him out of the doors. “Somewhere.”

“Cheeky.”

“I try.”


	27. Bubblegum Skies

We rode through town as the sun was just beginning to set, the sky taking on the lighter tones of a sunset. “I’m sorry, again, about the diner. If I would have known that he was there, I wouldn’t have left you.”

Harry said, looking over to me as he drove, eyes big and apologetic. “It’s fine, I handled it. You were busy anyway.” I said, honestly no upset about it at all. It’s not his fault that he had to go and talk to Luke, after all.

“Thanks for understanding. And we’re here.” He said, pulling into a parking spot in front of a gated park. “We’re going to the park?” I asked, unbuckling and getting out of the car. “Eh, sort of,” Zayn said, closing the trunk, holding a blanket in his hands.

“Come on, we’re going to miss it,” Harry said, taking my hand and pulling me after him, making me laugh and practically jog to keep up. We got to the top of a hill and Zayn laid out the blanket, falling ungracefully onto it afterward. Liam giggled and jumped onto his back, knocking the breath out of him. Zayn groaned and shoved him off, then pulled him back into his side with a kiss on the temple.

Harry flopped down next, pulling me ungracefully down with him. In a miracle of sorts, I didn’t flail out on the ground, I ended up landing in Harry’s lap. I froze, not really expecting to be landing there, but Harry just wrapped his arms around my waist and held me snug, hooking his chin over my shoulder.

“Watch.” He whispered, pointing to the sky. I looked, and a few moments later, a hot air balloon drifted into the sky from behind the tree line, it’s vibrant colors muted by the changing of the skies.

“Wow,” I said as another and then yet another appeared until the sky was littered with the vessels. The pink sky faded to yellow and I laid my head back against Harry, his chest rising and falling as he breathed.

We stayed like that for the longest time, the four of us just enjoying the view and each other. Liam and Zayn were in a similar position, Liam sitting between Zayn’s legs and leaning back, their fingers intertwined.

The sky soon began to fade into black and the balloons began to sink, their picture-perfect presence depleting until there was only one left in the sky, catching the last glimpse of the sun. Then, all at once, it was gone. “How was that?” Harry asked, unfurling his legs and setting me on the ground. “Amazing.” “Just wait for what’s next.”


	28. Rainbow Bondage Bear

I want you to think of the complete opposite of the peaceful tranquility of that leg of the date and multiply it by a thousand, and that’s what this part would be like. When Harry said that we were going to Grey’s, I thought that that sounded like some tiny café or something mundane.

Oh boy.

The exterior of the building looked normal, beige walls with a simple sign on the face of it, nothing flashy. As soon as we walked through the doors, however, it was like walking into Times Square on New Years.

There were vintage video game machines leaned up against the wall, skee-ball and dartboards scattered around, flat-screens with gaming consoles mounted on every wall, and a bustling canteen in the corner with pizza and nachos just rolling out of the window as fast as they could be made.

“Welcome to Grey’s,” Harry said with a flourish, eyes lighting up at all of the games. “An arcade?” I asked, well, yelled since it was deafening with all of the bells and whistles and hoots and hollers. “The arcade.” Liam corrected, walking up to us with a solo cup. I hadn’t even noticed he left.

“Hold out your hand,” he said, holding out the cup. I did as he asked and he poured some tokens into my hands, the gold coins reflecting light and shimmering. “Come back if you need more.” He said once he had dolled them out to all of us, throwing the cup into a bin near us. Liam and Zayn split ways, each going to different sides of the arcade.

“Guess that means you’re with me,” Harry said, wrapping his free arms around me and pulling me close. “Let’s do this.”

 

 

“I hate you so much.” Harry looked about ready to cry as “ **NEW HIGH SCORE** ” flashed across the screen of the Pac-Man machine, mocking Harry’s lost number one spot. I smiled triumphantly and pulled my tickets from the machine drawer, wrapping them around my neck like a laurel wreath.

“No, you don’t,” I said, brushing past him. “Come on, let’s get a slice of pizza.” I took off through the crowd to get to the counter while there was a lapse in the line, leaving Harry wallowing in his defeat. I made it to the counter somehow at the same time as Harry, who stepped coolly from another direction.

“Not so fast, mea.” He said, hip checking me. “How did you get here so fast?” “I have my ways. We want two slices of pepperoni.” Harry said, ordering from the scrawny looking boy with the ridiculous hat behind the counter. “Make that four,” Zayn said, walking up with Liam on his arm. Harry rolled his eyes and paid for the four slices, carrying mine and his to a table in the back.

“Where’d you win all the tickets, Lou?” Liam asked, biting into his pizza. “I won Pac-Man.” “You won Pac-Man? Harry, isn’t your score the highest on that game?” Zayn asked.

“Was.” He grumbled around his pizza, cutting me a side-eye. Liam snorted and high-fived me, getting a glare and a growl from Harry. Liam flinched a little and dropped his smile, but was back to himself less than a second later. “You okay?” I asked. “Perfect, just had a cramp.” He said, finishing off his slice of pizza.

We all did the same and stood up, dumping our trash and heading for the ticket redemption counter. I looked over the prize choices, and my eyes immediately fell onto this colorful, honestly hideous, rainbow bear stuffed animal. It was wearing what looked to be a bondage harness for Crist’s sake. It was perfect.

I gasped and counted my tickets quickly, which totaled up to 485. I grinned and looked at the tag on the bear. Oh no.

It costs 500 tickets, only 15 more than I had accumulated. I pouted and tore my gaze away from it, looking at some of the cheaper prizes. “What are you getting?” Harry asked, flipping through his own wad of tickets.

“I was going to get the bear, but I’m short a few tickets, so I’ll probably just get the sunglasses,” I said, pulling out the 300 tickets I’d need for that. “How short is short?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. “Fifteen.” Harry nodded and rifled through his tickets, handing me a wad. “Get your Rainbow Bondage Bear,” He said, motioning to the counter with a grin.

I’m sure that my eyes lit up right then, “Really?” I said, my voice high pitched as I took the tickets from him. “Really, get the damn stuffie.” I gave him a tight hug and bounced up to the counter, handing the bored looking worker my tickets and pointing out the bear. He rolled his eyes at me and reached up, unhooking the stuffie from its mount on the wall.

I took it from him with a giggle and squeezed it tightly because that’s just what you have to do to inaugurate a new stuffie, you have to give it the hug-test. “I think I’m in love,” I said through a mouthful of faux fur from my face being smashed in it, already going through name ideas. “I can see that,” Harry said, getting his own prizes from the boy, Zayn and Liam still deciding.

“His name is RBB and I love him,” I said, finalizing the christening. “RBB?” Harry asked, putting the ridiculous pick sunglasses with feathers on he had won. “For Rainbow Bondage Bear, it’s catchy but it’s a mouthful.”

I gave RBB another hard squeeze, kissing it on top of its head. Harry took off his glasses with a sigh, and I swear to you he was glaring at the damn stuffed animal.

“Uh oh, Harry getting jealous,” Zayn said, hitting Harry on the shoulder. “Am not.” He said, playing with his glow in the dark yo-yo. “Am too.” We all chorused back.

He huffed and threw his arm across my shoulders, flicking the bear in the head. “Am not.” He whispered, leading the way out of the arcade. 


	29. The Drop: Welcome Home

“Can I take the blindfold off now?”

“Nope.”

“How about now?”

“Nope.”

“Please.”

“Still no.”

We have been trekking through this... wherever I am for about ten minutes now, and I have yet to see anything.

The moment I got out of the car, Zayn pulled a bandana out of nowhere and tied it around my face, blocking me from seeing anything. Like seriously, he pulled it out of his sleeve like some sort of cheap magician.

I tripped up over something and squeaked, grabbing onto the first thing my hand came in contact with, getting a grunt in return. I steadied myself and went to let go, but what on earth did I grab onto? That wasn’t someone’s shoulder, the material was rough… “Um, Louis? You can let go of my ass now.” Liam said, stepping away from me.

“Oh god, I’m sorry.” I apologized, laughing. Harry’s hands tightened around my shoulders and he steered me to the left, lowly whispering warnings about upcoming obstacles into my ear. We walked uphill for a little while, then through some foliage, then I think it was mud and finally stopped on some hard surface, like rocks or pavement.

“You ready?” Harry asked, fingers beginning to tug on the knot in the bandana. “If you’re planning on sacrificing me, just know that I had a great time tonight.” I joked, blinking as the blindfold was being removed from my head.

“I had a different situation in mind with you in this blindfold,” Harry whispered, lips brushing my ear. Before I could make a half-hearted flirty comeback, the fabric was dropped and all I have to say is... whoa.

I was standing on a slab of stone surrounded by greenery, and before me was a tall, rushing waterfall, the mist turned to a rainbow sheen from the reflection of the bright moonlight. The pool which the fall ran into was almost clear, you could see the small fish and rocks below the surface.

“Welcome to The Drop,” Harry said, kicking off his shoes. “This is, this is just whoa.” “My sentiments exactly,” Liam said, unbuttoning his shirt. Wait, everyone’s getting undressed.

“What are you all doing?” “Going for a swim,” Zayn said, pulling off his pants and socks, leaving him in just his boxers. “In this weather? Guys, it’s fifty degrees, plus a wind chill!”

His response was a splash as he cannonballed into the water, sprays of water rising up and sprinkling against my skin, making me flinch at the cold shock. “Harry, are you all seriously going swimming? Harry?” And, Harry was gone. Where he was previously standing was just a pile of clothes, and there was no trace of him to be found.

Behind me, there was a splash, but the head that emerged from the water was Liam’s, who shook the water from his hair and splashed at Zayn. “Hey Louis, watch this!” Harry yelled from somewhere. I looked all around and closed my eyes, thinking “oh no.”

I looked up slowly and saw what I had feared, Harry standing on the edge of the waterfall, waving hysterically at me. I’m not going to lie I spent a couple of seconds appreciating a semi-naked Harry, but I also was fearing for his safety. “Watch this” are the famous last words of many people, y’ know.

“Be careful!” I yelled. He gave me a thumbs up and backed up, getting a running start and leaping over the side, cutting a flip in the air and landing in a dive into the water, the water rippling as he broke the surface. He popped back up laughing, running a hand through his hair that was straight, which didn’t look right on him.

“10/10!” I yelled, clapping for him. He splashed some water my way and beckoned me, floating on his back and kicking around the pool. “Your turn, come on in, Lou!” He called. I shivered at just the chill in the air, not really excited about getting into the even more freezing water. But, you only live once, right?

  
I pulled my sweater over my head, goose-bumps appearing on my skin from the cold rush of air. Liam cat-called and I blushed, kicking off my shoes and starting to unbutton my pants. Harry swam over and shoved Liam’s head under the water, getting a wave of water splashed at him by Zayn.

I pulled my pants all the way down and stepped out of them, shifting on my feet to try and generate some warmth. “Come on, loverboy!” Zayn yelled, swimming circles around Liam and Harry. I stepped over to the edge of the pool of water and stuck my toes in, jerking it back at the chill factor. No one likes a loser, Louis.

I took a deep breath and stepped off of the edge, plunging straight down into the water.

**Dear.**

**God.**

I popped back up gasping, instantly numb from the frozen shock. “J-Jesus Christ-t-t,” I said, kicking my legs to keep myself above the water. It was a lot deeper than I originally thought. “You good?” Harry asked, smoothly gliding over to me and stopping in front of me. “I’m f-fine, it’s j-just r-really cold-d,” I said, teeth chattering as I spoke.

“What do you mean it’s cold, it feels like it’s eighty degrees.” He said, dipping back under the water and popping up on the other side of me. “Are y-you crazy? I can't feel my t-toes.” I said, sneezing some. Harry laughed and swam back off, pulling Zayn under the water this time in a surprise attack.

While those two occupied themselves, Liam paddled over to me, lashes dripping with water. “Are you really cold? It feels amazing in here to me.” Liam asked, idling in front of me. “Y-yeah, I f-feel like I'm going t-to freeze to d-death.” Liam frowned and thought for a moment, then gasped and kicked away from me, hitting me in the face with a good bit of water in the process, thanks for that. What was that scar on the back of Liam’s neck from?

“HARRY EDWARD STYLES!” He yelled as he swam, grabbing Harry’s attention from where he was attempting to murder Zayn via drowning. “What? We’re just playing.” Liam popped him over the head, “I don’t give a shit about you drowning Z, Louis is cold, you ignoramus twat waffle!”

“Oww! What do you mean he’s cold, it feels fine in here.” “It’s like talking to a three-year-old, I swear to God.” Liam swam up closer to Harry and whispered in his ear, and Harry’s eyes widened and he jerked away. “OH MY GOD, HE CAN GET COLD!”

Can’t, um, everyone get cold? Harry swam over to me and ushered me out of the water, in fact picking me up and sitting me on the edge himself. I wrapped my arms around my torso and shivered. Harry heaved himself out of the water, quite the lovely display, and scampered over to the pile of clothes, sifting through and grabbing his shirt and jacket.

“Here, your shirt got wet so you can use mine, I have an extra in the car.” I nodded and slid the soft material over my head, sliding the jacket onto my shoulders right after. “I um, forgot that you could get cold and so, um, yeah.” He said, scratching the back of his neck. I don’t know what he means by “Forgot you could get cold,” but I’m also wondering why he isn’t shivering like a Chihuahua in just a pair of wet boxers when it’s this cold outside.

“It’s fine, you were just having fun, no harm is done. I would, however, like some pants.”

“That wounds me.” It took me a second to figure out what he meant, and then I had to fight a furious blush. That bastard.

Harry ran around to the clothes again and dug through them, casting two pairs to the side before he finally got to mine. I stood up and put them on, wigging to get them over my butt with my wet skin and everything. “Dinner and a show,” Harry said, earning a slap in the chest.

“You’re good to stay out for a little while longer, you’re gonna be fine, right?” He asked, eyebrows furrowed. It was endearing how worried he was, the big softie. “I’m fine, go have some fun, I’ll just watch.” Harry smiled and ran back to the water, spinning and flopping back in a surely painful belly-flop.

I laughed and snuggled into the jacket, watching the three of them dunk each other under the water and do tricks and just have fun. I don’t know how they’re doing it, though, it’s fricking freezing out here.

They played around for about fifteen more minutes before swimming back over and climbing out, bodies dripping water and smiles on their faces. I was pretty warm by then, Harry has really cozy clothes.

“Lou, come here, I want to show you something!” Harry called, pulling up his pants. “Coming!” I scrambled up from where I was sitting on the ground and went over to him, taking his outstretched hand. We walked around the clearing, to right next to the waterfall, where the spray was misting against my face. “Follow me.” Harry let go of my hand and pressed up against the rock, skirting along the wall until he was right up to the edge of the fall, and then he was gone.

“Um, Harry?” “Come on, just do what I did, trust me!” His voice came echoing from wherever he was, the roar of the water almost drowning it out. I drew in a deep breath and pressed up against the wall, the uneven surface of the rocks pressing into my back. I held my breath and scooted to the side, watching my feet to make sure they didn’t slide off of the edge of the rock.

The wall of water passed in front of me, and then I was in…. a cave? Behind the fall was a large cavern, a hole in the ceiling of it allowing a little bit of mystical light to peek through, casting a hazy glow on the shining rocks. “Like it?” “Love it.”

Harry was leaned against the back wall, watching me observe the room with a soft smile on his lips. His pale skin was aglow from the moonlight, long shadows from his eyelashes cast on his cheekbones. The drying water on his skin shimmered in the glow, bold tattoos standing out against his otherwise flawless skin.

He was so gorgeous. “Are you done staring?” He asked, walking towards me with his hands in his pockets, smug grin firmly in place. “I was just admiring the artwork.” “Funny, since last time I checked, you were the real masterpiece.” I felt the blood rush to my face and I looked down at my feet, 50 Shades of Flattered.

When I looked back up, Harry was right in front of me, smiling down at me. He slowly raised his hand and placed it behind my ear, rubbing my cheek lightly with his thumb. “I’ve got to do this.” He whispered, leaning down to me.

And at that moment, the world stopped, just for us, just for a second.

Harry’s lips felt like home to me, a safe place where I could always come back to, and somewhere I had been thousands of times before. Our lips slotted together like the final piece of a puzzle that covers your bedroom floor. The kiss was chaste, but a mere second or two of wonder, but that’s all that was needed.

Welcome home.


	30. Today Was a Good Day

We pulled away slowly, his forehead resting on mine. I opened my eyes and locked gazes with him, a smile fighting its way onto my visage. “Hi.” “Hey.” We stood like that forever, just existing in each other’s orbits for as long as we could.

“You ready to go?” Harry asked, slowly pulling away and subtly linking our hands together once more. “Never.” We slid out from behind the waterfall, cheeks flushed and idiotic grins intact. And of course, Zayn and Liam had to go and ruin the mood.

They were sprawled out on the ground, verging on rated R with their makeout session. “Jesus Christ, is this a porn audition or something?” Harry asked, kicking Zayn in the butt as we walked by. Zayn sat up and licked his lips, Liam pushing up onto his elbows. “We’d get the job, too.”

“Christ. Come on, we’ve got to go, Lou has to be home in the next thirty minutes.” Oh, wow, I hadn’t even thought about having to go home. It seems like we just walked out of the front door of my house when really it’s been almost six hours. While Zayn and Liam got dressed, Harry grabbed my wet shirt and threw it over his shoulder, beckoning me to go ahead and walk with him to the car.

We walked with fingers locked, strolling leisurely over the worn footpath. Harry bumped me and pulled me into his side, throwing his arms around my shoulders. Ooh, he’s warm. I sighed and stuck close to him, thinking about how perfect my life was at this very moment. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that’s all a dream. But not even I could imagine something as wonderful as this in my mind.

When we got to the car, Harry threw my shirt in the truck and dug around for a minute, pulling out a grey tank-top and putting it on. “I’ll get Li to wash your shirt or something and give it back to you next time I see you, okay?” I nodded and pulled off the leather jacket, handing it back to him. “It’s not as cold, you can have this back now.” He chucked it into the trunk and shut it, walking with me to my side of the car.

He opened the door once again and stood in the doorway once I got in, smiling at me as I fiddled with the hem of my his shirt. “You are so beautiful, yet so unaware of it,” I swear if my face gets anymore red tonight I am going to combust.

“Thank you,” I whispered, tracing his forearm lightly with my fingertips. He smiled and leaned into the car, placing his lips on mine for the second time, though it was more like second nature to us.

We were, however, rudely interrupted by Liam skidding to a stop from a dead run in front of the car and screaming “YASSSSSSSS!” while jumping around in circles. It startled Harry nearly to death; he jerked his head back so fast it smacked against the top of the car, making him grunt and rub it, glaring at Liam.

“Darling. Calm down. Please.” Zayn said, grabbing Liam by the shoulders and stilling him. “But, did you see-“  "Yes, I saw. But calm down, Christ child.” Liam nodded and grew dormant, walking calmly to the car and climbing in the backseat.

He was quiet for about two seconds, and then he leaned halfway into the front of the car, bent so that he could look me in the face. “I am **living**.” He whispered, then was back into his seat by the time that Harry and Zayn had gotten into the car. God, how did I ever find a friend like Liam?

The ride back to my house was silent, especially on my part; considering I fell asleep about five minutes into the ride, leaned across the center console onto the crook of Harry’s elbow. A hand carding through my hair and ghosting across my cheek was what woke me up, eyes blinking as I tried to orient myself.

“You’re home, mea,” Harry whispered, pushing my hair out of my eyes. I nodded and stretched, yawning. I turned around in my seat to tell Zayn and Liam goodbye, but they were asleep in a pile of limbs, in positions that just couldn’t be comfortable. “I’ll tell them you said goodbye. Come on, let’s get you inside before your mom comes and hunts you down.”

We walked up to my front door with hands in pockets, stupid smiles permanently etched on. And I was dragging the bear by the foot, which ruined the mood just a little bit. All in the name of romance. “I had a great time, y’know.” I said, doing the cliché “turn and face one another in front of your door after the big date” move.

“I did too. Even though I almost let you freeze to death and get eaten by Michael.” I laughed took his hand, lacing our fingers together. “That just made it all the more memorable. So, I’ll see you later?” “As soon as possible.”

Harry leaned in and kissed me once more, a tingling feeling coursing through my body, warming me despite the nip in the chilly air. He pulled away and kissed my forehead, turning to go back to his car. “Bye,” I whispered, waving slightly. He waved back and got back into the car, cranking up as I opened the door, slipping into the house as he pulled out of the driveway.

I closed the door with a final click and leaned against it, smiling as I replayed the events of the evening over and over in my head. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out, reading the message displayed on the screen. **{From: Haz}** “Good night, mea. Xx.” I clutched the phone to my chest and closed my eyes, reveling in my happiness. How did I ever get so lucky?

“So, I’m guessing that your date went well?” I jumped from the sudden voice, looking up to see Ben sitting on the couch, one leg crossed over the other and football game muted in the background. “Yea.”

Ben clicked off the TV and walked over to me, narrowing his eyes. “Well, it must have been really fun. Why else would you have wet hair, and if I remember correctly, that’s the shirt that Harry picked you up in.” Ben pointed at me with an accusatory finger, eyes blazing.

“What are you suggesting, Benjamin?” I challenged, pushing away from the door and walking right up to him. “I think you know what I’m suggesting, Lewis.”

“Lou, is that you honey?” My mom’s voice came from the direction of her bedroom, increasing as she got closer. Ben gave me a disgusted look and stalked off, brushing past my mom as she walked into the foyer. “Oh, baby, you’re back! Why are you wet? Who’s shirt is that?”

“We went swimming and my shirt got wet, Haz gave me his.” “You went swimming? In 50 degree weather?” She seemed skeptical. “Oh well, as long as you had fun. What else did you do?”

“We went to a diner called Faye’s, and we watched hot air balloons in the park, and we went to an arcade, and then we went to this really cool waterfall.” “Wow, that’s a lot in one night. Did you have a good time, dear?”

“The best.” Mom smiled and gave me a hug, kissing the top of my head. “My baby’s growing up. Go on upstairs and go to bed, you’ve had a long day.” I nodded and kicked off my shoes, heading to my room. “And Louis,” Mom called, making me turn around and raise my eyebrows. “Next time you decide to kiss your boy on the front porch, make sure that all of the blinds are closed. The bear is cute, too.” I think that I am legitimately going to die.

I ran up the stairs, trying to escape the embarrassment that was my mother. I hadn’t really noticed how tired I truly was until this moment. With trudging limbs, I weaseled my way out of my pants and underwear and put on a new pair. With a sly grin, I left Harry’s shirt on and decided to just sleep in that, even if it smelled slightly like pond water, it smelled mostly of rich earth and mint and Harry.

I walked over to the window and looked out across the yard, the trees aglow with the light of the moon high in the sky. At the base of a mighty oak, sitting with his tail curled around his paws and head high, was Moose.

I threw open the sash and stuck my head out, whistling lowly to get his attention. He looked up to the window and thumped his tail tongue lolling out. “Hey!” I whisper-yelled, waving at him. “Goodnight!”

He boofed at me and I pulled the window back shut, waving once more and walking over to my bed, cuddling up to the bear. Today was a good day.


	31. Madaar, He a Hooman

“Louis, are you planning on getting up today?” I groaned and rolled over, throwing a pillow at the monster who dared to wake me from my slumber.

“Don’t throw things at your mother.” Oh. Crap.

“Sorry, I’m just tired.” “Lou, it’s past noon, it’s time for you to wake up.” “Fine.” I threw my legs over the side of the bed and sat up, rubbing my face to try and wake myself up some. “You slept in his shirt?” She asked with a smile, leaning against my doorframe. “Maybe.”

“Hmm. Get up and get a shower, your hair looks greasy.” “Thank you for those kind words, Mother.”

“I try.” She left me then, probably going to knit or do some other motherly thing. I stood up and shuffled to the bathroom, starting the shower while I found a towel. I took my time washing, letting the smell of dirty pond water rinse away, the steam clearing my head. I was probably in there for thirty minutes, the majority of which consisted of me just standing there.

When I finally got out, the room was filled with steam, the mirror a foggy mess, and my fingers were beginning to prune. I wrapped the towel around my waist and opened the bathroom door, running directly into Jack, who was standing on the other side of it holding my phone.

“Why do you have my phone?” “It wouldn’t shut up, kept beeping and vibrating. And I suggest you get dressed, Harry is going to be here in like five minutes. “Harry’s what?” “Read the messages.”

I snatched the phone from him and opened up the phone, going to the ten or so messages that were from him. “Hey, mea.” “Are you up yet?” “I’m going to guess that you’re not up.” “Are you going anything today?” “I hope not, because I’m coming to get you.” “See you in ten!”

_Shit._

I rushed past Jack and down the hall to my room, throwing on a pair of grey sweatpants that had to be cuffed at the bottom and a navy Weezer shirt, slipping on a pair of Wallabies. Crap, uh, beanie it is.

I slid the black and grey striped hat on and jogged down the stairs, yelling for my mom as I did so. “What Louis?” I followed her voice into her office, sticking my head in. “Can I hang out with Harry today?” She looked over the top of her glasses and raised her eyebrows, the universal Mom look when you ask to do something random and out of the blue.

“And when are you planning to do that?” “Uh, now.” Cue Harry knocking at the door. I grinned sheepishly, “Literally.” Mom sighed and nodded, waving me off. I mouthed “thank you” and rushed to the door, swinging it open mid-knock.

Harry was standing there with one hand shoved into his pocket, hair deliciously tussled and shoved under a snapback, in a pair of black jeans and a hole-ridden Ramones shirt. “Guess you got my messages?” He asked with a grin, cheeky bastard.

“Yea, lot of warning you gave me there.” I tried to look annoyed, but I have the ferociousness of a bunny, in all honesty. “ You ready to go?”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll figure it out once we get there.”

“Bastard.”

I called to my mother that I was leaving and locked the front door, pulling it shut behind me. I followed Harry to his car-that’s, not a car. A big, black motorcycle was propped up on the curb, helmet hanging from the handlebars.

“We’re riding on this thing?” “Unless you’re planning on walking.”

I groaned and trudged behind him to the death trap on wheels. “Here, you take the helmet.” I took the outstretched offering and put it on over my beanie, fastening the chin strap and checking that it was secure at least five times before I even got onto the vehicle if you even call it that.

Harry climbed on and patted the seat behind him, grinning widely. I rolled my eyes and swung my legs over, getting situated and wrapping my arms around his waist, leaning my head against his back. “You know why I chose to drive the bike?” He asked, cranking the bike with a roar.

“No, why?” I yelled over the rumble of the motor.

“Because you have to hold on to me!”

Harry peeled away from the curve with a rush, making me squeak and grab on tightly. “Hold on Lewis!” I pinched his hip and scowled, making him laugh. It was a different experience riding on a motorcycle, I’ll tell you that. Riding with the top down on the Jeep was one thing, But being open and exposed on every side, going speeds which couldn’t possibly be safe on a two-wheeled motorized deathtrap, was two parts terrifying, one part exhilarating.

After a few minutes, we made it out of town and wound through some rural roads, rarely passing another person. Harry slowed down and turned onto a gravel road, through a set of iron gates. We rode slowly down the stretch, until a two-story white house with a wraparound porch appeared, three cars, two of which were Zayn and Liam’s, out front.

Harry eased the bike in next to the cars, putting down the prop and turning off the motor. “So, this is Zayn’s house.” “Oh, ok, I was wondering.” I slid off the helmet and readjusted my hat that had been smashed underneath. Harry held out his hand and I took it as I got off of the bike, regaining my balance.

We had barely even walked away from the bike before the screen door slammed open and Liam ran out, dressed similarly to me. “Louis!” He yelled, wrapping me in a hug. He stuck his face in the crook of my neck and gripped me tightly, my feet actually leaving the ground at one point. I laughed and patted him on the back the best I could with my arms restricted, looking to Harry for help.

Harry looked the epitome of unamused, arms crossed and jaw tense as he glared. He huffed and flicked Liam on the back of the head, the latter immediately backing away and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. I need to remember to ask about that scar.

“Sorry, just got excited.” Harry rolled his eyes and put his hand on my back, walking around Liam and up the steps to the house. He walked in and kicked off his boots, so I did the same with my Wallabies. Liam followed behind us quietly, playing with his fingers. I think Harry hurt his feelings.

“Is that you Hazza?” a lady’s voice called from somewhere in the house. “Yea, Trisha, it’s me, I’m coming!” “That’s Zayn’s mom.” He said to just me, leading me through a few rooms of the house. One thing I noticed was that the walls were literally covered in picture frames, the paint underneath barely noticeable.

There were ones of just Zayn, and Zayn with two smaller children, and Zayn and Liam, and all three boys, and a single brunette lady that had on a bright smile in every picture. That must be his mother.

“Darling, back so soon. And this must be Louis!” I was so enamored by the pictures that I didn’t even notice we had come to a stop outside of an office of sorts, and the brunette lady was coming out of it, wiping her hands on a rag cast over her shoulder. She wrapped me up in a hug, apparently, everyone in this town is a hugger, and I looked over her shoulder into the room as she did so, seeing a few bubbling containers of liquid on hot plates and racks of powders, liquids, and leaves. She must be some type of scientist.

She pulled away after an awkwardly long embrace, holding me at arm’s length. “Well Harry, he does seem nice, now doesn’t he? Oh dear, I’m sorry, I didn’t even introduce myself, I’m Trisha, Zany-Poo’s momma.” Harry snickered at the nickname, and I cracked a grin too.

Just then, a small stampeded started up, two young children running into the room, skidding to a stop. “Madaar, Doni took my I-Pod and licked it!” The little girl whined, the girl next to her looking smug as she held the offending I-Pod.

Trisha pursed her lips and looked at Doni with the mom look, tapping her foot. “Now Doni, what have we talked about? It is impolite and unsanitary to lick things.” The girl, she couldn’t have been more than five, looked at her blankly and responded by licking her sister’s cheek, getting a squeal in response.

Trisha sighed and rubbed her face, muttering a swear. Doni and the girl both stopped their glare-off and looked to me, heads tilted to the side. They must have just noticed me through all of the drama.

The girl silently crept behind her mother and hid her face in her shirt, peeking at me like I was going to get her. The smaller girl, Doni, fearlessly walked right up to me, her head just reached my waist. She peered at me for a moment looking me over.

She furrowed her brows and turned to her mother, arms crossed. “Madaar, he a hooman!” She whined, scrunching her nose. “Of course he is dear, everyone is. Now, go play with Safaa, and no licking.”

Doni sighed and nodded, taking the other girl, Safaa’s, hand and running off. “Kinder’s, they’re a handful.” She said, shaking her head fondly. “You two go on down to Zany’s room, tell him I’m finishing up with that thing and then I’m going to the store, Safaa and Doni are going to go with me. Try not to set the house on fire. Again.”

Huh, again. “Nice to meet you!” I called as she hustled back into the room, knocking the door back shut with her hip.

Harry grabbed my hand and pulled me through the house a ways more, cutting through the kitchen. Liam was nowhere to be seen, he must have gone on ahead to Zayn’s room. ”I know what you’re thinking, and the setting of the house on fire was a complete accident. And entirely Zayn’s fault.” “Read my mind.”

Harry laughed and opened a door, but instead of a room, it was a set of dimly lit stairs, leading downward. Harry ushered me in first, closing the door with slight protest from the hinges. “If you’re planning on murdering me and bathing in my blood, this is the time to do it,” I said jokingly as I descended the stairs carefully, not really feeling a hospital visit today. “Damn, I’ve been caught.”

I laughed and turned the corner, ending up in a bright, large room, complete with a bed, dressers, bookshelves, a couch, a TV, pretty much everything a teenager needs to sustain themselves, including a mini-fridge and ping-pong table.

“Nice, right?” Harry asked, walking past me, further into the room. “That’s an understatement.” Harry looked over the back of the couch and dramatically covered his eyes, staggering away and landing on the bed, “Oh God, PDA, I’m blind!” He yelled, dramatically ending with a faked death scene.

Liam’s head popped up first, followed by Zayn’s, hair tussled and lips were swollen, you don’t have to really think to guess what they were up to. Especially since Liam was shirtless. Who’s shirtless at two in the afternoon?

“Oh, fuck off,” Liam said, flipping off Harry’s dead body and pushing Zayn back down by his chest, the sound effects a bit much. I walked over to Harry, averting my eyes from the indecent display of fornication with clothing happening on the couch. Harry broke his act and opened one eye, looking back over to the couch and grabbing my wrist, pulling me down onto the bed with him. Well, this isn’t awkward at all.

“Cover your eyes, Louis, before you’re scarred for life!” He exclaimed, covering my eyes with his hand, not really giving me a choice. I heard snickering from across the room and reached up, blindly feeling around until I found Harry’s cheek and poked it, trying to get him to let me go to no avail.

As a second option, I felt his finger over my lips and opened my mouth, biting the digit harshly. Harry yelped and pulled his hand off of my face, allowing me to look up and see that Liam and Zayn had stopped and been looking over at Harry and me.

“You bit me!” Harry yelled, looking mock offended. “Purely in self-defense.” I countered, shoving him over onto his back from his sitting position. He looked up with that sly grin I’ve figured out only means mischief and he wiggled his fingers at me.

Oh no.

I know where he’s going with this “Don’t you dare, Harry Styles.” I said, trying to ease off of the bed and retreat before he could do what I knew he was planning on doing. He wiggled his eyebrows at me and got back on his hands and knees, moving over to me like a predator stalking its prey.

“I swear to Go- HARRY!” He pounced me and manhandled me onto my back, then got to work on tickling me incessantly on my ribs, my feeble blows to his shoulders not deterring him at all. He kept it up for about 30 seconds, tickling me until I cried and threatened to pee myself.

When he finally stopped, I just laid there catching my breath, and he hovered over me smiling, breathing hard himself from having to fight to keep me from worming away. We looked into each other’s eyes and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Ok, you two, no defacing my bed; that is holy ground!” Zayn yelled, breaking our intense gaze. “Holy my ass,” Harry muttered, rolling off the bed and helping me up, fixing the askew hat on my head and poking my nose. I scrunched it at him and stuck out my tongue, walking over to the couch and plopping on the end that wasn’t possibly contaminated with Liam and Zayn’s body fluids.

Harry squeezed in next to me, his butt half in Zayn’s lap as well. This definitely wasn’t a four-person couch. “Zayn, I think you need a bigger couch,” I said, pulling my arm from where it was pinned under Harry’s body weight. “Retweet,” Liam said, shifting so that his legs were thrown over Zayn’s laps and he was in a reclined position. “Mario Kart?” Zayn asked, leaning forward and grabbing a box of controllers off of the coffee table.

“Hell yes.”

“Duh.”

“Prepare to get your ass smashed, Malik.”


	32. Lost My Damn Mind.

Two hours, a liter of Mountain Dew, and four attempts at cheating later, it was now evident that I am the supreme ruler of all things technological. Harry threw down his control after his fifth-second place victory in a row and groaned, running a hand through his hair. “First Pac-Man, now Mario Kart, are any of my accomplishments safe?”

“That, my dear, was a regulation ass-whooping,” Zayn said, patting the last place Liam on the top of the head sympathetically. “Sucks to be you,” I said, setting my controller down and laying against the arm of the couch, throwing my legs over Harry’s, feet resting against Zayn’s thighs.

“You only won because I went behind you and pushed you along,” Harry said, dropping his controller to the floor softly and placing his hand on my knee that was in his lap.

“Oh I’m sure you’d like to go behind Louis and push him along Haz, preferably on his hands and knees,” Liam said, laughing as Harry smacked him harshly in the chest.

I smiled smugly and stuck my tongue out at him, gloating over my victory, cheeks burning from Liam’s comment. Harry’s nose twitched and a manic smile spread across his lips, eyebrows wiggling.

That can’t be good.

“DOGPILE!” Harry yelled, picking up my legs from his lap and worming out from underneath them. I had about one second to prepare before he belly-flopped across me, chest to chest and our legs tangling up.

I wheezed from the breath getting knocked out of me and shoved feebly at his chest, but he didn’t budge. I shoved a whole lot harder and moved him, but not in the direction I hoped. With a squeak, we fell to the floor, landing on our side with a groan.

Before we could move to get up, Liam gave a war cry and laid over both of us, locking us in place. Like it couldn’t possibly get any heavier, Zayn sat on us like a cherry on the top of a sundae. We laid there for a little while, a mass of arms and legs and hair all over the place, it was actually kind of hilarious.

I giggled a little, which turned into full-blown, eye-watering, stomach aching laughter, which spread to other boys like an infection. I’m sure whoever would have made the mistake of coming into the room at that moment might have mistaken us for some type of weird orgy.

“You guys are squishing me!” I whined voice muffled from where it was mashed into Harry’s shoulder. “Alright, everybody off!” Harry said, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees, Liam and Zayn going with him. He leaned over and shook and the pair fell off, landing with hard thuds and indignant looks.

“You good?” He asked, hovering over me, hair sticking up all over the place. I’m sure I looked much worse, being at the bottom of the pile and all. “Yea, I’m good. Help me up.” Harry hopped to his feet and grabbed my outstretched hands, yanking me clean off of my feet.

“Come on, let’s go get pizza.” He said, thumping Zayn in the forehead. Zayn nodded and grabbed his wallet and keys from the bedside table, pocketing them and sliding on a pair of Nike’s. Liam dug around under the bed and pulled out a shirt, sniffing it and shrugging before siding it over his head, the ripped collar causing it to slide off of his shoulder.

“IS THAT MY DAVID BOWIE SHIRT?” Harry yelled, pointing accusingly at Liam, who looked down at the shirt and shrugged. “There’s the ketchup stain on the left arm from where I dropped a nugget while watching TV on my bed with my laptop in June of ’14, that so is my shirt! Take it the fuck off!”

“I just put it on, I’m not taking it back off. Besides, if it was under Zayn’s bed, then it must not have meant that much to you.” Harry huffed and crossed his arms, glaring at Liam. A sly grin passed over Harry’s face and he strutted up to Liam, circling him like a vulture.

“Y’know what’s wrong with this scenario?” He asked, practically purring. Zayn and Liam narrowed their eyes and crossed their arms, giving a simultaneous “what?” Harry sniffed the air like he was standing over a pot on the stove and smiled smugly, “Now you smell like me.”

Liam scoffed and Zayn rolled his eyes. “You’re not gonna scare me into taking the shirt off that easily, Styles,” Liam said, adamantly maintaining his stance. I don’t get why that would be a scary thing, I think Harry smells wonderful. Intoxicating, even. “You smell fine. Really good.” I blurted out, blushing once I realized how weird that sounded.

Harry’s smug smile widened into a beaming, genuine one and his eyes lit up like the Fourth of July. “Really?” He asked, looking ecstatic. “Um, yea. Like it’s a nice smell. Alluring.” I said, trying not to sound too creepy. “You hear that Z, he thinks I smell alluring.” Harry boasted, looking about two seconds away from swooning.

“You don’t even know what that means, dumbass. Now come on, we need to go before it gets too late and too crowded.” Harry puffed his chest out proudly and threw his arm across my shoulder, heading to the stairs right behind Liam and Zayn, who were entwined around each other per usual.

We made it about halfway up the stairs before Zayn sighed and stopped, turning Liam around by the shoulders, steering him between Harry and me on his way back down the stairs. “Fuck it, I can’t take it. Go change.” He said, sending Liam on his way. “Thank God, I reek,” Liam muttered as he brushed past us, already stripping the shirt off.

“Rude,” Harry called after him, growling lowly at the finger thrown back at him. Liam reemerged seconds later in a black shirt with “LoSt My DaMn MiNd” across the front in a spiral. “Better?” Liam asked, passing back through us to get to Zayn. “Better.”

They kissed and Harry pretended to wretch, getting yet another finger from Liam. “Move your asses,” Harry said, herding them the rest of the way up the stairs. I still don’t get why Liam and Zayn think Harry stink.

“And where, may I ask, do you four think you’re going?” Zayn’s mom asked as we were slipping out of the door. None of the other boys seemed like they were going to answer her, so I guess that has been unanimously left up to me. “We were going to get pizza, if that’s ok?” “Louis, dear, the only one with any manners, you are. Zayn Javaad Malik, did it not occur to you to ask your mother’s permission to leave?”

Zayn ducked his head and Harry snickered. “Hush you now, Harry Styles, I changed your diapers and I can sure as hell ground you. And Liam, what on earth is that shirt you are wearing? I told Zayn to throw that thing away last time he tried to wear it.”

“But mum, I paid for it, I’m not going to throw it out just because it has a little curse word on it!” Zayn whined, acting quite frankly like a five-year-old. A good scolding from a mother will bring that out in a man.

“Ahhh, the frigid wind of teen rebellion. I better not see that shirt in my house again or I’ll be the one dressing you from now on.”

You know that feeling whenever you’re at a friends house and their parents yell at them and you just sit there looking at the floor, trying to make yourself look as small and unnoticeable as possible? Yea, it’s one of the moments.

We all stood there with our heads hung as she glared with her hands on her hips, foot tapping incessantly. “Go on, leave.” She said, and you didn’t have to tell us twice.


	33. Bathroom Hickies

We bolted out of there, barely remembering to shut the door behind us. “Thank for throwing me under the bus,” I said, grumpily kicking up dust. “I’m sorry, it’s just that Z’s mom is, um,” “Terrifying.” Zayn finished Harry’s sentence and all three boys solemnly nodded.

“I think that she’s lovely.”

Zayn snorted, “Of course you do. What car are we taking?” “Um, we should probably take two. I have to go back home after this, Mamma said so. I guess take Zayn’s and mine, Z can ride with me there and then ya’ll bring him back.” Liam said.

Zayn shrugged and fished his keys out of his pocket, flinging them over to Harry. Harry nodded and took my hand, pulling me over the Camaro. I’ve never ridden in one of these before. I slid in the car and looked around like I was in a space ship. It seemed bigger on the inside than it did on the outside.

Harry slid into the driver’s side and cranked up, following Liam’s car out of the driveway. We made it about halfway back to town before Harry began sneakily edging his hand over to my side of the car. I cut him a sly glance and he grinned, wrapping his hand around my thigh, squeezing gently.

I tapped on the window sill and sang along to the song on the radio, not missing the way Harry would look over with a fond smile every now and then. Not going to lie, I did my fair share of looking as well.

  
We pulled up to the pizza place right behind Liam, the lot sparsely packed. “Welcome to Genk’s,” Harry said, patting my leg once more and climbing out of the car. I unbuckled and clambered out after him, legs not wanting to cooperate. Having short legs is annoying sometimes.

"Every time I come here I wolf down the food," Zayn said, rubbing his stomach. “Idiot,” Liam grumbled as he brushed by him, Harry taking my hand and towing me behind him.

Zayn sighed and fell in behind all of us, metaphorical tail dragging in the dirt. Harry held the door open for all of us to walk in, and Liam grabbed onto Zayn's hand after he walked in. Just like that, all is well.

Harry led me over to a table in the back as Liam and Zayn had a little make-up make-out by the door. I slid in the booth first and Harry sat by me, arm immediately finding a resting place behind my head. Liam and Zayn joined us after a minute, coy smiles and hands laced.

“You’ve got to get the strawberry lemonade,” Harry said, flipping open the menu. A waitress walked up and jotted down our drink orders, and Harry smiled as I requested a strawberry lemonade.

“So, what are we ordering?” Liam asked, flipping through his own menu. “Um, I like banana pepper and spinach.” I offered, playing with the edge of the tablecloth. They all three simultaneously wrinkled their noses and shook their heads, flipping immediately to the meat page. OK then.

The girl came back with our drinks and dear god this is the best thing I’ve ever had the privilege of drinking. “Good, right?” Harry asked, getting an enthusiastic nod in return. “OK, so what can I get for you all today?” The waitress asked, pulling out her notepad and plucking the pencil from behind her ear.

“We’ll get two thick crust large pepperoni and sausage, a large deep-dish triple meat with extra bacon, and a small banana pepper and spinach thin crust. And an order of breadsticks.” The girl widened her eyes and wrote down the order, giving a curt nod and walking back into the kitchen. “Um, are more people coming or something?” I asked. Jesus, how much pizza did we need?

“Nope, just us,” Liam said, sipping on his tea. Christ, I’ve never seen people that could eat so much and still be deliciously attractive. “Thank you.” Zayn quipped, flexing his arms. “Thanks for what?” “Oh, nothing.” Liam smacked him on the back of the head and Harry sighed, giving Zayn this absolutely done look.

I sipped some more on my drink and then needed to go to the bathroom. “Excuse me.” I said, nudging Harry’s leg and pointing to the glowing “RESTROOM” sign. He stood up and let me go, sitting back down. I hurried into the bathroom and took care of business. I didn’t realize how bad I really had to pee. I left the stall and went to wash my hands.

As I stood over the sink, I heard the door creak open and looked to see who it was, but no one was there. I shrugged and shook off my hands, turning to get a paper towel, only to be met by a pair of lips crashing into mine, strong arms spinning me around to press my back up against the wall.

I would have freaked out, but those soft lips and warms hands gripping my waist could only belong to Harry, the way his earthy sent wreathed around us and his legs bracketed mine. He finally pulled away, hot breath fanning over my lips as he spoke, “I’ve been waiting all day to do that.”

He placed one hand on the wall by my head and kept kneading my hip with the other, fingernails lightly digging in. I took the initiative this time, leaning up to capture his lips in a searing kiss once again, my hands instinctively locking around the back of his neck. Our lips moved together slowly, a slow dance with one another.

I don’t know how long we were like that before Harry made his move, tongue lightly tracing against my lips. I parted them and met my tongue with his, a winding ballet ensuing. Harry pulled back and nipped lightly at my lower lip after a moment, making me gasp.

He abandoned my mouth and set to work on my jaw, lightly dragging his lips over it, teeth grazing against the tender skin. I bit my lips to hold back my groans and pulled at his hair, winding the curled strands around my fingertips and tugging. He ghosted down to the column of my neck, nose brushing against my bobbing Adam's apple as he nipped and kissed the skin until a hickey was most likely on display.

He dragged his tongue lightly across it and pulled away, pressing one more bruising kiss to my lips. He pulled back and looked into my eyes, pupils blown and cheeks flushed, which I’m sure wasn’t half as fucked as I looked. His lips were such a deep red, it was like the ripest strawberries had dyed them in the heat of the summer.

“Hey.” He whispered, cracking a smile. “Hi.”

He slowly released me from my place against the wall, allowing me a chance to look into the mirror and sweet mother of god. My hair was all over the place, beanie barely even intact. My lips were more swollen than Harry’s, but nothing could compete with the red tint gracing his.

As expected, there were tiny red marks leading from my jaw down to the junction of my neck where my shirt was pulled to the side and a blossoming purple-tinted bruise was formed. As I admired in it the glass, Harry walked up behind me and ran his thumb over it, pressing down lightly and sending a sparking pain, and- I had no clue that I liked pain. You learn something every day.

“Mea.” He rumbled in my ear, kissing my cheek. “Now come on, I’m sure that Liam and Zayn are starting to get suspicious.” He held the door open for me and followed me out, walking behind me as I sheepishly scrunched my shoulders to hide my neck.

“About time.” Liam fussed as I slid into the booth, his pizza already missing a considerable sized hunk. How long were Harry and I gone? I reached across the table to grab a breadstick, and it was like I had lit a firework under Liam’s ass.

“IS THAT A HICKEY?” He yelled, leaning across the table and grabbing me by the collar of the shirt. “ZAYN, THAT IS A HICKEY!” Zayn wolf-whistled at me while Harry sat there smugly, looking proud as could be. “No wonder you reek.” Zayn said to Harry, getting an offended “humph” and a slice of pizza to the face.

Liam finally let me go from where I was pulled across the table, allowing me to sit down and take a small bite from my hard-fought-for breadstick. “And in the bathroom of a pizza place, really Haz?” Liam berated, swinging his pizza around for emphasis.

“I thought it was perfect,” I mumbled around my slice of pizza, getting another proud look from Harry and matching eye rolls from Liam and Zayn. “My babies, growing up so fast. Z, pass me the pepper flakes.” Like that, the conversation was over.


	34. Keep It PG In The Drivers Seat

We finished eating with no more arguments, these three were just the most compatible yet argumentative people I’ve ever had to deal with. They scrapped more than my brothers, and that was saying something.

We paid and walked out of Genk’s, our arms respectively around who we were with. Well, I wouldn’t go as far as confirming that Harry and I were together, it was more like we were experimenting with each other, just living in the moment. For now, I was fine with that.

“So, meet us at Liam’s?” Zayn asked, climbing back into Liam’s passenger door. “Sound good.” I waved at them and climbed into Zayn’s car, Instantly getting a kiss from Harry. He cupped my face in his hands, thumb brushing over my cheekbone as he kissed me, pulling away slowly. “Acta novissima puto inveni.” {I think I’ve found my newest addiction.} He whispered, eyes boring a hole into mine. “I have no clue what you just said, but right back at you.”

Harry broke the moment and laughed, throwing his head back against the seat and cackling. Watching him laugh was a beautiful thing. His nose scrunched up and his eyes crinkled at the edges, mouth wide open and showing all of his teeth. As the laughter began to subside, he would wipe at the small tears collecting in the corners of his eyes, teeth biting down on the tip of his tongue. His eyes would sparkle, lashes glistening from the escaped tears. He was a work of art.

“Stop staring.” He mumbled, bashfully ducking his head and covering his smile with his hand. “Don’t be embarrassed. I think it’s cool that I have my own personal work of art.” Harry turned red in the face and squeaked, hiding from me behind his hands. “Shut up!” He whined, lightly hitting my shoulder. Well, it looked like he did it lightly. It felt like I had been hit by a train, however.

“Jesus!” groaned, rubbing my now throbbing arm. Harry’s eyes widened and he grabbed my arm, pulling up the sleeve to look at the blossoming red mark. “Shit Louis, I’m, fuck, I’m sorry. Sometimes my strength gets away from me, and then this shit happens, and please don’t be mad at me.” He begged, frantically rubbing at the mark. “Harry, it’s just a bruise. It’s going to take a few days to go away, it’s ok. Breathe.” Harry took in a deep breath and rubbed gently across my arm again, smiling when I flicked him in the nose and pulled my sleeve back down.

“Are you sure that you have to go home tonight?” Harry asked, his tone teasing but his expression dead serious. “Yea, I’ve got to get a head start on my homework. I’d rather be with you, though.” Harry tapped the steering wheel and beamed, making a happy sound, verging on the edge of a chirp. This was the oddest, most perfect boy I’ve ever met.

Harry eventually pulled into a driveway of a large house, Liam and Michael’s vehicles parked in front of the closed garage doors. As soon as we parked, the door’s on Liam’s car opened and Zayn popped out, Liam on the other side.

Zayn walked around and pulled him in close and kissed him, patting his butt as he turned to walk away. Liam flipped him off and blew another kiss, walking into the house. Zayn laughed and walked over to the car, motioning for me to hop out. I climbed out and moved the seat forward, going to get into the back.

Harry whistled and shook his head at Zayn, who sighed and pulled me back out of the car, climbing into the rear himself. “Demoted to the back seat, in my own car, unbelievable.” He grumbled, pulling the seat back to its rightful position.

I giggled and went to get back in, but stopped when I saw Michael. He walked out of the woods behind the house, shirt in his hands, in just a pair of boxers. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and looked over to me, smirk immediately settling on his face and tongue licking over his lips. He pulled the shirt on and winked at me, walking towards the car.

“Get in Lou,” Harry said, voice tight. “What?” “Get. In.” I slid in gracelessly and shut the door rather hard, nearly on my foot. Harry cranked up and went to leave, but Michael was already at the car.

Harry growled and rolled down the window, raising his eyebrows expectantly. “What’s he doing here?” Michael asked, setting his jaw as he stared me down. “He’s with me, ass-face,” Harry said, spitting practical venom at Michael.

Michael rolled his eyes at Harry and looked to me, eyes hard as concrete. “We’ll see. Oh, Louis dear, where do you live?” “Um, 88 Maple Street, why?” “Bye, Louis.”

I awkwardly waved at him and started playing with my fingers as Harry rolled the window back up and peeled out of the driveway. The last I saw of Liam’s house was Michael turning and picking up his phone, placing a call to someone and walking towards the back door of the house.

“Why did you tell him where you lived?” Harry asked as we left the neighborhood, winding through some back roads on the way to my house. “Because he asked.” “Wonderful.” He grumbled under his breath, but still laid his hand atop of my thigh. So, I don’t know if he’s mad at me or- “I’m not mad.” Well, that answers that, strangely enough.

We rode in silence for the rest of the way home, aside from Zayn’s quiet drumming on the back of my seat. Harry pulled in front of my house and put the car in park, slinging his arm across the back of my seat.

“Hey.” He whispered, picking at the hairs on the nape of my neck. “ I just don’t particularly like Michael all that much. It’s nothing that you did.” He said, looking me in the eye. “I know.”

“So… Do you really have to go?” He asked, batting his lashes and looking absolutely adorable. “We’ve already been over this Haz.” “Fine. Hey, maybe I could get you tomorrow?” He looked so hopeful, it hurt to shut him down. “Can’t tomorrow, Sunday is laundry and clean-up day at my house. I don’t know how long it’ll take me. Plus, my mom is going to get suspicious if you keep whisking me off to different places.”

Harry pouted but nodded, leaning across the console and pecking me on the forehead. Then he reached over to give me a hug. And then somehow I ended up in his lap. I squealed and threw my arms out to settle myself, making the horn go off.

Harry laughed and burrowed his nose into my neck, planting a warm kiss there while he was at it. “Jesus you two, can you not, like, deface my front seat, thanks,” Zayn grumbled from the backseat, where I could see him with his hands over his eyes.

Harry growled lightly and wrapped his arms tighter around me. So, I’m very tactile and like attention and all, but there’s a fine line between a strong embrace and broken ribs, and Harry was verging on the edge of an ER visit.

“Dear, I can’t breathe,” I said, sighing in relief when he slackened his grip. Just barely, though.

Harry’s snuggle marathon was interrupted by a tapping at the glass, making me jerk my head around and sheepishly grin at Jack, who was looking rather miffed with his arms crossed outside of the vehicle. He motioned for me to come out with his finger and stepped back, steady glaring through the window.

Harry sighed and reluctantly turned me loose, opening the door and helping me gracelessly stumble from the car. Jack narrowed his eyes and motion for me to go in the house, so I headed that way with lowered shoulders. When I turned back to say bye, Jack was blocking my view, steering me into the house without so much as allowing me to wave.

“Dick,” I grumbled as a started to walk to my room. “What did you just call me?” He asked, still standing like a stoic guard by the door like I was going to run out and try to escape. Which, I might. Don’t try me.

“I called you a dick. Are you deaf as well as dumb now?” “Louis, I swear to god-“

“What are you two arguing about now?” My mom asked, walking out of the kitchen, wringing her hands dry on a dish towel she threw over her shoulder. “Lou here was getting rated R in the driveway and he’s mad that I stopped his fun,” Jack said, sticking his tongue out at me the moment Mom looked to me, eyes wide.

“Louis William Tomlinson, I know not!” She yelled, hands falling into place on her hips. “Mom, it wasn’t like that, Jack is just over-reacting.” “Louis, you were literally in his lap, and he was kissing your neck and probably doing some weird gay shit!”

That, my loves, is when my blood began to boil. “Listen here, shithead. You shut your damn mouth about me and my ‘gay shit’ right this moment. Harry and I were having a moment, that’s all. We were doing nothing wrong. I will cut off your head and take a shit down your neck. You’ve licked more girls neck than I have suckers in my life but I don’t say “ stop with that hetero shit.” Screw you.”

I turned on my heel and took off out the door after that, not listening to a thing my mom and Jack yelled after me. Screw them.


	35. What Goes Bump In The Woods

I stalked through the woods for a while, tearing branches aside and kicking debris out of my way, getting pretty scratched up in the process. “Idiots. All of them.” I seethed as I continued my rampage, just really sick and tired of my family. Hot tears blurred my vision as I walked, frustrated puffs of air leaving my lips from my brisk pace.

Eventually, my foot snagged on something and I fell forwards, smacking my head against the knobby root of a mammoth oak tree. “Fuck.” I groaned as I rolled onto my back, everything appearing in doubles for a moment.

My palms stung from where they were most likely scraped up, and now I had what I’m sure would be a lovely goose-egg in the morning. Just peachy. I sat up and leaned against a tree. “Screw my life.”

As per usual in these woods, because what was a walk through the forest without some interruption from a random misplaced wolf, out came a lithe, furry body, tail low and ears pinned down. It was Sandy, and he walked right up to me and sniffed me, wet nose gently brushing my sore forehead. It hadn’t broken skin but that sucker was already turning into a knot.

He grunted and nosed the side of my face, then laid down so that his head was in my lap. My hands found their way into the longer hair around his ear, which I ran between my fingers as he lazily twitched them. “Today was great. And then I had to be an idiot and come home. All I want to do is hang out with Harry, he’s just so- Harry. You’d like him, I bet he’s nice to animals. I bet he volunteers at animal shelters.” Sandy rolled his eyes and huffed, licking gently at my hand, which had fallen to rest on my thigh.

“I probably need to go home and apologize, what do you think?” Sandy barked and stood up, tugging on my shirt-sleeve. “Ok Sandy, let’s go.”  
  
I began my trek back up to the house, humming along to an unnamed tune. We eventually made it to the edge of my yard, and Sandy pushed my butt with his head, sending me out of the shadow of the trees. “Alright, I’m going. Calm your paws.” I walked slowly up to the porch and climbed the steps, thinking of what to say as I slid the door open with a squeak.

The second that I stepped into the house, Sandy took off into the shadows, only a swaying branch signaling his departure. I laughed and then cringed as my mother’s door slammed open, her shrill yell cutting through the house. “Louis Tomlinson! What has gotten into you? You have no right to up and run away from us! I have the right mind to just completely cut you off from Harry and your phone, laptop, everyth- oh sweetie, what on earth did you do to your face?”

I sat down on the steps, putting my head in my hands as I collected my thoughts. I drew in a deep breath and looked up, tears welling in my eyes. “My head is fine mom, it’s just a bump, I feel fine. I’m sorry for running but Jack-I just can’t. He and Ben get to have happiness and meet with a new girl every week and do God knows what with them and you don’t bat an eye, but the moment I get a boyfriend, I’m unholy and scandalous for hugging on the front porch and kissing in the car. It’s just not fair.”

“Sweetie, it’s just- It’s just not something we’ve ever known. We need an acclimation period. I don’t know why Ben and Jack don’t like Harry, but I know they love you-I love you. I want what’s best for you.”

I didn’t say anything, just stared at the opposing wall as she spoke.

“Can you talk to them, please. I’m finally happy, please don’t let them ruin this.”

Mom smiled and gave me a hug, rubbing her thumb across the knot on my forehead. “I will. Go on upstairs and I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the afternoon. No more running away though, next time stay and talk to me.”

I nodded and went upstairs, flopping on my bed. I pulled out my phone, lock-screen was filled with messages, most from Harry. I unlocked my phone, going to the widget and reading through them. The first was saying that he had a good time with me today and that he wished I could hang with him tomorrow as well. Me too.

The rest were just little comments and puns, but I could see the moment when Harry got concerned as to why I wasn’t answering. He spammed me about ten times saying my name, and then the last message was of a question mark, which was sent about twenty minutes ago. I sent back **“I’m fine, just had a fight with Jack again. It’s all good, I’m gonna take a nap now. I’ll talk to you later, thank you for today”** and threw my phone to the side, burrowing my face in the pillow and immediately falling asleep.


	36. What Goes Bump In The Night

I don’t know how long I slept, but it was just approaching dusk when I blearily opened my eyes. The first thing I noticed was that there were two Advil and a glass of water on my nightside table, and the second was the sound of my mother yelling at something to “shoo.”

It was probably a fly that had buzzed into her space or something. Now that I’m up and all, might as well be productive. I took the meds and peeled off my grimy shirt, throwing a jumper on instead. I walked over to my mirror, grimacing when I caught sight of my head. It wasn’t particularly nasty, but the small not had some bruising and made me looked a little like a unicorn growing his first horn.

From downstairs my mom was still yelling, and why can’t that women just kill the fly and get it over with, she has to be so damn gentle hearted all of the time.

I looked out of the window and caught a glimpse of Happy-Boy, head barely poking out of the woods with his ears pinned flat. He seemed to be looking at something, what I don’t know. My mom yelled once more and I heard the door slam a few times, like she was trying to scare something off- oh.

 _Shit_.

I turned and sprinted down the stairs as fast as I could, sliding into the kitchen going thirty miles an hour. Mom was in front of the door, swinging it and stomping her foot, steady yelling.

“Mom, what are you doing?” I asked, fearing that I knew the answer. “There’s some stray dog-no, it’s not a dog, that thing is a WOLF- in our backyard, and I’m trying to get it to go away. I’m about to call animal control to come and pick it up.”

“No no no, that won’t be necessary,” I said, squeezing past her and going out of the door. “Louis, come back here! That thing could have rabies! It could be rabid, Louis!”

I ignored her and walked to the edge of the porch, where sure enough, Moose was hunkered down, one paw on the steps. The moment I came into his view, he perked up and bounded the rest of the way to the main porch, hopping around me excitedly, the wooden slats of the porch creaking under his thudding weight.

“Hey Moose, what on earth are you doing? Are you trying to get in trouble?” He just whined and butted at my legs, getting me to sit on the ground. He sniffed around me a few times, giving the bump on my head a tentative lick.

With a sigh, he sat down next to me and laid his head in the crook of my neck; cool, wet nose pressed against the column of my throat. “It’s ok buddy, I don’t know what has you all upset, but it’s ok.”

I laid my head against his shoulder and ran my hand over the coarse fur on the back of his neck and looked through the door to my mother, who was standing there with the phone in hand and mouth agape.

“Hey, you can tell your friend that it’s ok to come out now. He looked about ready to shit himself earlier.” Moose picked up his head and snorted, then plodded over to the side of the porch, giving a short, loud howl. He scampered back over to me and rolled over playfully, batting at me with one paw.

I gave into his puppy dog eyes and started scratching his stomach, making one hind leg shake in delight. With a skid of claws, not just Happy, but Sandy, too, skidded onto the porch going ninety miles a minute. I could hear my mother’s gasp over the sound of their pants and clicking nails. They both jumped around me, nudging my cheek and sniffing my forehead. “Why, hello to you two, too.”

Happy stumbled and yelped a little bit, hind leg doing worse than usual, today. Sandy snuffled him and nosed him like they were talking. So Happy is Sandy’s girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. Can wolves even be gay?

They each laid by me, their heads perched in my lap. I took my free hand and began alternating scratching between their ears, getting tail thumps and contented sighs in return. I heard the door squeak open and all three perked their ears, eyes shifting to where my mom stood, nervously shuffling on her feet.

She watched the four of us for a moment longer and then beckoned to someone inside, and Jack appeared at the glass. His eyes widened as well, I mean it must be shocking. I was rather small, and here I am getting dwarfed by three monstrosities of mammals, their torsos the size of my whole body.

I picked up one hand, the one on Moose, and waved, getting an indignant tail flick in return. I laughed and went back to rubbing him, calling him a “needy child.” Jack waved someone else, it had to be Ben, to the door, and that’s when shit went down.

Ben stepped out onto the porch, and it was like you had lit a fire under each wolf’s butt. They morphed from rolling, puppy mode to soldier status real fast. Moose flipped over and scrambled to his feet, hackles raised and teeth bared, deep grumble rising up. The hair on the back of his neck rose up, and he looked god-damned terrifying.

Sandy and Happy stood as well, though Happy seemed to be having a really tough time today. Ben froze his advance and retreated the second the Wolves took a cohesive step, growls echoing one another.

“Lou, call off your mutts!” Ben yelled, shielded back behind the glass. “Moose, you all mind your manners,” I said, slapping him on the butt. He didn’t listen and I rolled my eyes. “Louis, be careful now. I think that they might have rabies, that big black one looks nearly mad. “I’ve got this, Mom!”

And by having it, I mean that I’m going to give his tail a yank and get his attention that way. With a yank and a yelp, Moose was effectively distracted and turned to face me with a hurt look on his muzzle. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, you were being an ass.”

He huffed and turned back around, sniffing my forehead once more and pressing his nose to my neck, rumbling in his chest-not growling, but the one he does around me and the boys. For a second, it reminded me of the kind that Harry does occasionally-before wagging his tail and heading towards the edge of the porch. Sandy and Happy did like so, checking me out once more before following Moose into the woods.

One of them gave a short howl and the sound of thundering feet receding, marking their departure. I stood up with a smile and brushed off my pants and shirt, stretching my sore limbs. I walked into the house, brushing past my dumbfounded family. “I’ll explain at dinner!” I yelled as I ran up the stairs, avoiding questioning for now. At least I had thirty minutes to prepare a statement.

“Ok Louis, I want you to explain everything right now.” My mother said the moment I sat down at the table, not even giving me a moment to pick up a fork.

“Well, you know how I disappear every day?” She nodded. “Well, that’s who I disappear too.” “You’re meaning to tell me that you go run wild with the wolves every day, and you’re just now getting around to telling us? What if one of them had hurt you, or worse! We wouldn’t have known what had happened to you! And why are they now getting all up close to the house, I haven’t seen them before this? Have you been feeding them? Louis, you know that that just attracts pests.”

I zoned out a majority of my mother’s speech, those were just the parts that I caught. I tuned back in around the time that she called them bloodthirsty beasts, which just plain offended me. “Hold up right there,” I said, throwing my napkin onto my plate and standing up, beckoning for them to follow me.

They all stood up uneasily and followed me to the back door, filing out onto the porch while I walked into the yard. God, I hope that Moose decided to stick around tonight or I was going to look like an idiot. I whistled lowly and called for him, sitting down on the grass. “Louis, this isn’t a good idea, what if-“ “Mom. Hush.”

I called for him again and started singing, Emmylou breaking through the silent night air. Almost instantly, I heard the bushes rustle and saw a black nose stick out hesitantly. “Hey, buddy,” I whispered, folding my hands in my lap. He stepped all of the ways out, the lights from the porch and the moon’s glow causing his fur to shine.

He walked over to me quickly, winding around me before sniffing my neck. “Hey. I need to ask you a favor.” He snuffled and sat down, cocking his head to the side like he was listening.

“Can my mom touch you? Just to see that you are safe to be around?” He flattened his ears, but huffed after a second and thumped his tail. “Thank you. Mom, come here.”

She fiddled with her hands and walked down the steps slowly, tentatively edging her way closer and closer. “Louis, I swear to god if he bites me I will ground you.” She reached out and Moose shied away out of habit, but I steadied him with a hand on the back of his neck, rubbing and tugging on the fur softly.

Mom put her hand right next to mine, her fingers automatically entwining themselves in the coarse fur. “He’s so big.” She said incredulously like she had thought he was but a mirage. It was kind of surreal, being this close to something so wondrous.

Moose stuck his tongue out and wacked the back of Mom’s legs with his tail, making her jump in surprise. “See, all he wants to do is play.” Mom pulled her hand away and backed up, giving me room to rise up to my knees.

“Bye Moose, I’ll see you tomorrow or whenever,” I said, hugging him loosely around the neck. He sniffed my head once again, then barked and gave me one long swipe up the side of my face with his tongue and turned, barreling off into the woods, nearly running into a tree in the process.

I laughed and shook my head at him, standing up and dusting my knees off. Everyone back on the porch was staring at where he disappeared with wide eyes like this was all a dream.

“Ok fine. But if I catch him on my couch, it’s your ass.” Was all that Mom said before she walked back into the house, stopping and looking back over her shoulder and shaking her head. Yes, Mom, that really did just happen.

“Fucking weird,” Jack said, going back in after Mom. Ben shook his head and followed after them, leaving everything unspoken. “Goodnight!” I yelled into the woods as I walked back towards the house, smiling like an idiot when I heard the responding howls.


	37. Laundry Day

I slept in again the next morning, my head mercifully pain-free. The first thing I did was feel around my sheets until my hand came in contact with my phone, holding it up to my face so that I could see the messages that were lined up. The most recent was from Liam, telling me that Harry was absolutely pitiful when he was depressed, with an image of Harry laying on his back playing with his phone.

I asked why he was depressed, and Liam’s reply was instantaneous. **“Because you couldn’t come to hang out with him today.”** I giggled like an idiot and switched over to Harry and I’s message thread, which had lengthened significantly since yesterday.

 **“What are you doing?... How’s your head doing?... I’m bored… Li isn’t as fun as you…He hit me for that… I miss you…”** The last one made me blush and yell into my pillow like an idiot. I sent back a quick **“I miss you too”** and put down my phone, glaring over at my daunting pile of laundry. The time has come.

I despise laundry with a bleeding passion. It’s just so time-consuming: sort it, wash it, dry it, fold it, repeat. It’s like an abomination if I so much as let one dark color in with my lights, and don’t even get me started on washing towels in the same load as clothing.

My mom watches like a hawk but never helps. Say that it “grows independence.” The only thing that she has said to me so far today was “stop smiling at your phone, you’re going to run into a wall” and “at least now I know why you’re always covered in fur.” Very helpful, Mom.

My phone was lighting up like never before, Harry sending me memes and puns to make me smile, as I had expressed my detestment for housework several times throughout the day. At one point he was just so forward that I almost dropped the basket I was carrying on one hip through the house to my room. I had sent him a frowny-face selfie with a pile of laundry in the background, complete with ten sad emojis. **“You look cute when you’re doing domestic stuff. Such a good little housewife.”**

Was… Was Harry flirting with me? I do believe that he is.

 **"Am I not cute the rest of the time?“** Was my cheeky answer, and waited to see what kind of flustered response I would get from Harry in his haste not to offend me.

What I didn’t expect was my phone to start ringing in my hand, the vibrations startling me. I swiped to answer and held the phone up to my ear, almost missing what he was saying. “You always look beautiful.” After that, a dial tone.

I stared at my phone in shock, flattered beyond belief. That was single-handedly the sweetest thing ever said to me, though Harry really just competing with himself for that honor at this point.

My phone buzzed again, and I looked to see that Liam had messaged me once more, “Dude, I think Haz is gonna die. He’s just rolling around on the floor squealing.” Somehow, I feel like I should be the one squealing. Conceal don’t feel, Louis. Conceal don’t feel.

Harry and I’s conversion halted after that, what else needed to be said? I threw down my final basket of laundry and went to the kitchen to grab a snack. Ben and Jack were both in there, covered in sweat and noisily slurping down their Gatorade. Football tryouts were tomorrow, and you would think that it was for the Steelers, not just the mediocre town high school team with the insane amount of effort that Ben and Jack were putting in.

I couldn’t see myself putting that much effort into anything. Well, maybe into Harry and I. I would put a HELL of a lot of effort into that.

“Hey Lewis, is Harry’s little gay friend still trying out for the team, or did cheer tryout results come back and he’s captain?” Ben asked, sniggering and elbowing Jack, who just looked like he wanted to crawl in a hole and die. I can bury Ben right next to him.

“The fuck did you just say?” “Jesus, the gayer you get, the stupider you get. Do you not understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” Keep reading, because you’re about to all be witnesses to a murder. Before I could pull a knife out of the block and run it through my brother, Jack finally stepped up and said something.

“Ben shut the hell up. Please, for one second in your egotistically-fueled life, shut up.” Jack said, slamming his drink onto the counter. Ben looked affronted, watching with wide eyes as his twin, his other half, turned on him.

“Literally no one cares that Louis and his friends are gay except for you. Louis could be sexually attracted to cacti and I probably wouldn’t care. I’ve watched Zayn- he does have a name, y’know-during gym and mate, I’m telling you, he’s going to beat our asses at tryouts tomorrow. We’re lucky if we even get handed a jersey. So shut up and have some respect.”

If there was a mic, it would have been dropped.

Ben huffed and stormed back out the door, having been effectively shut up for once. If I didn’t have standards, I would have given Jack a hug. Jack just nodded at me and padded off after Ben. Sometimes I love him. Consider him redeemed for that stunt he pulled yesterday.

I lugged my last load up the stairs and gracefully dumped them on my bed. I was about to flop into the warm pile-so close- and my mom yelled to me to go and get the mail. Apparently, she hadn’t gotten it all week and she had to pay bills. Well, woman, you’re already downstairs, why don’t you go and get it?

I groaned and went back down the stairs, groaning for added effect as I passed by her room, where I could hear the final strains of a soap opera intro clip. So that’s why she’s incapacitated.

Outside, the air was brisk and muggy, a low gray sky hanging. The perfect weather to nap in. But nope, no nap for Louis. As I pulled out the hefty stack of mail, I spotted a big black Hummer parked around the corner, just like the one Michael has. Admittedly, it was a nice car.

When I turned to walk back up the concrete path to the front door, I saw the familiar figure of a wolf in the brush behind my shed, sitting up at attention. “Moose!” I called quietly, snapping my fingers. The wolf cocked his head and turned it towards me, and oh, not Moose. It was Satan, menacing looking as always.

“Bye,” I squeaked and hustled into the house. Him I don’t like. Just weird.

“Here’s your mail,” I said, throwing the letters onto the bed by my mom, who was completely captivated by the crap being played out on the TV. She barely even nodded to me, just blindly felt for the letters and pulled one towards her.

Heaven bless her if the house catches on fire in the midst of a Soap, that woman is just gonna burn. I ran off before she could assign me anything else to do, I want my damn nap.

I sent Harry a message saying that I was going to sleep and added some X’s on the end, saying that I’d see him tomorrow. Before I could drift off, I got back a { **Sweet dreams, mea Xx.** } That was the best nap I’ve ever taken.


	38. Valet

I hate Mondays with a bleeding passion. They were too bright, too demanding, and just overall unnecessary.

I groggily pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt that passed the sniff test, not even looking in the mirror before I shuffled down the stairs, slipping on some Vans at the base of the stairs. “Hey, honey.” Mom said as I walked into the kitchen, handing me a cold pop-tart and a glass of milk.

I mumbled my response and sat down at the bar. Of course, Ben and Jack just had to be annoying and pound down the stairs, whooping and hollering like frat boys gone wild.

“FOOTBALL!” Ben yelled, breaking his pop-tart in half and shoving it in Jack’s mouth, the latter of whom was fist bumping. God, I hate football season.

Since I could walk, every Friday night has been devoted to their games, from Pee-Wee to Junior Varsity to now Senior Varsity. Not to mention all of the practices I’ve had to sit through because my mom couldn’t make two trips to pick us up or there was no time for me to be dropped off at home.

Mom smiled and did the little mom cheer where she claps excitedly and lightly shakes her fists, you all know what I’m talking about. I rolled my eyes and shoveled in the remainder of my breakfast, chugging the milk and glaring at my brother’s in disgust. I am probably going to kill myself on the way to school if this is how they’re going to be all day.

Ben and Jack started a chant about being champions, and I now retract my previous statement. I am definitely going to kill myself.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I fished it out, sliding to see what Harry had said. Who am I kidding, he’s the only person that ever texts me, other than my mom. { **Walk outside**.} Umm, ok.

I got up and walked to the door, unlocking it and swinging it open. Lo and behold, Harry was standing by his car and gave me a little wave as I looked out. “Need a ride?” He called, grinning like mad.

“Hell yea. Give me a sec.” I walked back inside and practically skipped through the house, smiling widely. “Hey mom, I’m gonna ride to school with Haz, okay?” “What? Is he here?” She asked, peering around me to try and get a good look out of the door. “Maybe.”

“Fine, but straight to school, Louis. Mama knows.” She said, making the “I’m watching you” gesture. “Thank you!” I yelled, grabbing up my bag and skidding out of the house, possibly flipping off my brothers in the process. The world may never know.

Harry was already back in the car, so I jogged around and climbed in the passenger seat, buckling up and shooting him a smile. He smiled a little, then frowned and reached across the center console, grabbing my head and tilting it, looking at the bump on my head. Um, personal space, buddy. “I don’t like it.” He said after a minute of scrutinizing gazing, his thumb gently brushing across it as he spoke.

“Me neither.” He reached down and pulled up the edge of my sleeve and frowned at the purpling bruise there, “I really don’t like this one.”

“That one,” I said as I leaned across the console and kissed him on the lips, “I don’t mind at all.” He smiled into the kiss, pulling away and humming as he put the car in gear, pulling away from the curve and weaving through the subdivision.

“There is one thing that I like, though.” He said as well halted at a stop sign. “And what would that be?” “The fact that you’re wearing my shirt.” I blushed and looked down, and sure enough, Harry’s Rolling Stones shirt was looking right back at me.

“Purely accidental,” I said, trying to cover my rosy cheeks. “I’m sure it was, mea. But still, I like the fact that people will know who you’re with.” “Oh, so I’m with you now?” I asked, teasing him.

“Damn straight, I know when I’ve got something good, I’m not stupid.” He said, smirking and clapping a hand down on my thigh.

I’m in a glass chamber of emotion.


	39. Foot Fetish

The whole day at school, Harry was being extremely tactile, like I’m talking never letting me get more than a foot away from him. He even went as far as to pull me into his lap in Latin, which was mercifully headed by a substitute who was on her phone more than officiating the PDA fest at table nine.

“Ou sm li str-bries.” He said, his voice distorted by the way his face was smashed into my shoulder. “I what?”

He grinned and picked his head up, pressing a feather-light kiss to my collarbone, right next to where my hickey was fading, making me shiver. “I said you smell like strawberries.”

“I’ve never smelt myself, but okay.”

“Just trust me. You smell like strawberries. It’s delectable.”

“Delectable?”

“Absolutely scrumptious.”

“Oh, can you two please shut up before I vomit,” Liam said, covering his ears and shutting his eyes. “Not like you don’t fond over Zayn all of the time. ‘Oh, Harry, he smells like cinnamon, it’s so dreamy!’” Harry said, impersonating Liam with this high pitched voice that made Liam turn red in the face and me almost fall out of Harry’s lap with how hard I was laughing.

I don’t think Harry would have allowed that with the tight grip he had on my hips, the pressure changing as he flexed his fingers. It was grounding more than anything, knowing that I was there and that he had me. I leaned back onto his chest and laid my head back on his shoulder. He did the rumbling thing and drug his nose down the column of my throat, making goosebumps rise to the surface in its wake.

The rumbling thing was like the human version of purring, just one of those little quirks that make Harry so loveable.

_Wait, loveable?_

“You going to football tryouts after school?” He asked lowly, so close that I could feel each word as he spoke it.

“Mhm, have to. Are you going for Zayn?”

“Wasn’t planning on it, but now I am. Meet you on the bleachers.”

“Mkay.’’

“If you two are very much done, I would appreciate being able to do my classwork while not watching porn, if at all possible,” Liam said, covering his eyes. “Watch it,” Harry growled, and instantly Liam dropped his hands and the glare melted from his face. I will never understand why Harry is apparently the head honcho of this joint, how he can drop anyone with a glare.

The bell rang and Liam stood up silently, never looking up from the floor. Harry helped me to my feet and kissed me hard before I followed Liam out of the room. Since the incident in the bathroom at Genk’s, Harry was all for PDA.

I was lucky I left with getting my ass smacked or something else obscene. I put nothing past him. How that teacher didn’t write us up this period was beyond me.

The final bell rang after PE and I walked out to the football locker room, where boys were milling in and out in various amounts of padding. I looked over to the field, where I could already see Harry sitting there next to Liam, doing something on his phone.

Ben and Jack each walked out with their practice pads on, helmets in hand. They dropped their book-bags at my feet and walked on, not even stopping to say hello or anything. I rolled my eyes and picked up a bag in each hand, only slightly groaning at the hefty bags. Neanderthals were apparently incapable of implementing lockers.

I made it about ten feet towards the car park before the bags were taken from my hands, Harry’s smiling figure throwing them over his shoulder with ease.

“How did you get over here so fast? You were just at the bleachers.” I asked, looking back and judging the distance. “I must be a fast walker. They drive the jeep, right?” I nodded and he unceremoniously threw the bags next to the vehicle, turning to wrap his arm around me instead. “So, is Zayn as good as they all say?” I asked, looking up to Harry.

“Better.”

Less than ten minutes into practice, what Harry promised was blatantly obvious. The first thing the boys did was do five laps around the field, which was equivalent to around a mile. By the third lap, most of the boys were huffing and puffing, including my brothers, but Zayn was jogging like he ran the mile on a daily basis.

Which, he probably did. I was surprised to see Calum right up there behind him, headphones in. As the auditionees started their stretches, I ended up sprawled across the bleacher seat, my head in Harry’s lap and my feet on Liam. It was adorable the way that Liam never took his eyes off of Zayn, his features fixed in a fond stare.

Next, they had to do passing and catching drills, running around cones and never taking their eyes off of the ball. I don’t think I ever saw the ball hit the ground when it was with Zayn.

I watched for a few more minutes before I got tired of the futility of my brothers and rolled onto my back, looking up to Harry with tired eyes. “’ M gonna take a nap,” I said, scratching lightly on his arm. He hummed and nodded, fingers dancing through the hair on my head. I would commit murder if it would make someone play with my hair all of the time.

I looked over to the field once more and saw Ben staring up at us, glaring as he drank some water. He took a very satisfying hit to the side of the head with a football, and no one can blame me if I smiled.

Waking up by someone gently tugging on your hair is absolutely splendid. Especially when the tugging is accompanied by a kiss. I blinked my eyes open and smiled, weaving my fingers with his. What were we? I’ve never been this affectionate and close with someone before, so I have no clue if we’ve entered boyfriend material yet or if this as just the test run.

“It’s time to go, mea. Your brothers are waiting.”

“But I wanna stay here forever.”

“Don’t we all. Come on, you don’t want to piss off Ben more than you have to.” I reluctantly groaned and sat up, stretching as I stood.

“’ M going home to finish my nap, I’ll see you tomorrow,” I told him, giving him a quick kiss before I trudged back to the car. “You nap more than a cat. Goodbye, mea.”

Ben and Jack were indeed sitting in the car, air conditioner on full blast despite the chill in the air outside, car reeking of sweat. “Are you very much done snogging your boy-toy?” Ben asked, putting the car in gear and pulling out of the car park.

“What can I say, he has a bit of an oral fixation,” I said, fighting to keep my grin at bay. No, Harry and I haven’t done anything like that, but it sure was fun to watch Ben and Jack turn red and shift uncomfortably. “Louis, I swear to god, if you and that boy are..”

“I’m not saying anything. My lips are sealed. When they aren’t otherwise occupied, that is.” If Jack had the balls, I think he would have killed himself at that very moment. I let them fester in their misery for a minute and then clapped them on the should with a big “I’m kidding! What he really has is a foot fetish.”

 


	40. Will Dump In River For Belly Rubs

Tuesday was completely normal until it was time for lunch. Harry had kissed me and went into the lunchroom to get the food and stuff, taking Zayn and Liam along with him.

I was leaned against the cafeteria door, playing some stupid game, when arms were suddenly bracketing me and that face that just won’t go away was there. “Hello, love,” Calum said, fixing my fringe.

I batted his hand away and shrunk further into the wall, space I created quickly crowded into. “Don’t be like that, dear. You and me, we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

“No, we’re not, you’re going to get the fuck off of me.” “Baby, you don’t know how mad that sharp tongue of yours makes me. I can’t wait until you’re mine to teach you a lesson.”

Ok, what the actual hell was this? Who does Calum think he is, putting a claim on me and all of the shit? The only person allowed to claim me was… _No, shut up brain, erase that thought._

“Come on, let’s go somewhere more private before Harry comes out and tries to play knight in shining armor.”

“No, I’m not going anywhere without Harry.” I looked through the window into the cafeteria and saw that Harry hadn’t even made a dent in the line.

 _Shit_.

“Oh, I wish you wouldn’t be so difficult, pup,” Calum said, looking around and then doing the unforgivable.

He picked me up and carried me, kicking and fussing, out of the door to the grassy courtyard. “I will fucking kill you, you dick! What the hell are you doing? Fu- HARRY!”

Calum clamped his hand over my mouth and winced as I bit down, shaking it after he unceremoniously plopped me down next to a tree. I went running off but was promptly stopped by a familiar heavy frame blocking my path.

“Now we have you all to ourselves.” If my day couldn’t get any worse, I just had to deal with Michael. “What the hell do you want?” I spat, crossing my arms and trying to look menacing.

“In all honesty, nothing to do with you. However, you make an excellent bargaining chip, so your presence is necessary.” “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Luke stepped out from under the tree, grinning as he found his way over to Michael.

“You’ll see in about thirty seconds.” I tried to walk off again and this time Hailee and Ashton stopped me, sympathetic smile intact.

Niall was standing behind her, looking at the ground and avoiding making eye contact with me. Of all people, he was the last person that I thought would do something like this, be with people like this. I thought that he was different, but apparently not.

I huffed and sat down on the ground, legs and arms crossed, giving them the silent treatment. If they wanna be childish, so can I.

Luke rolled his eyes and leaned on his cane and Calum sat down by me, throwing an arm across my stiff shoulders.

“You and I are going to be really close, baby.” “No, we aren’t, shithead.”

“Yep, especially since Harry is going to say no, he knows he can’t afford it.”

“Say no to what? Afford what?”

“You’re about to find out,” Luke said, turning his head towards the cafeteria doors. Calum smirked and pulled me closer, Michael walking up behind Luke and lightly wrapping his arm around his waist. Luke shook his head subtly and Michael backed off, standing with his arms crossed instead, glare a permanent fixture.

The doors slammed open and Harry stalked out, Liam and Zayn on his heels. I now know that a mad Harry is a terrifying one. His eyes seemed to glow and he looked twice his regular size, hands balled in fists and lip curled back to bare his teeth.

Liam and Zayn were similar in appearance, each one flanking him on a side. As Harry stalked towards us, I tried to push Calum away and stand up, only to have my arms held back and be held down. I squeaked as Calum pressed rather hard on the bruise on my arm, and Harry increased his pace and cracked his knuckles, rolling his neck.

Luke applauded as he closed in, “Brava, Harold, Brava. Always one for the theatrics.” “The fuck do you think you’re doing?” He positively growled, taking a step closer to Luke, cutting his eyes over to me.

I tried again to stand, only to have my arm squeezed to the point that it throbbed by Calum, making me cry out and still so that he would slacken his grip. “Let him go,” Harry said, reaching forward and picking Luke almost all the way up off of the ground.

Michael stepped forward to pull him back, but Luke just calmly put his hand up and stopped him, like he wasn’t being choked by an angry mammoth. It was kind of rude of Harry to choke out a blind kid, but he kinda deserved it.

“Calum here will let his plaything go when and if you can reach an agreement with me,” Luke said, coughing every now and then.

“He is not a plaything, nor is he Calum’s, got it? He is with me, or are you blind? Oh, wait,” Harry spat, teeth clenched together.

Luke smirked, though he was starting to look a bit blue in the face. “Classy, Harry, really classy. Actually, last time my Michael checked, Louis is ours.”

“Um,” I spoke up, getting everyone’s attention. Harry’s face softened as soon as he looked at me, and Luke’s feet got a little bit closer down to Earth. “Louis belongs to Louis, thanks.”

“I know baby,” Harry said, setting Luke back down. “Just let me deal with these assholes.”

“Go ahead, Calum and I are having a lovely chat over here.” As I said that, I could feel Calum’s hot breath on my neck, right where I’m supposed to be feeling Harry’s. I looked subtly over to Liam and mouthed “Help me,” cringing when Calum touched his nose to my neck.

“What do you want?” Harry asked gruffly, not loosening his grip on Luke’s collar, and keeping a close eye on Michael, who looked like he either wanted to cry or break Harry’s neck, watching Luke with unbridled attentiveness. I truly believe that Luke is Michael’s whole world.

“I want Sherwood,” Luke said, his eyes glinting with something akin to mischief. “Sherwood? As in the whole sector?” Harry sputtered, Liam and Zayn looking just as shocked. What the hell is Sherwood? Like a drug? Is Harry a drug dealer?

“Oh good, so you can hear. Now that that is established, my demand warrants a response.” Harry put his face close to Luke’s, eyes narrowed, “Oh, hell n-“

“Before you finish that sentence, let me finish my proposition. On the ground, preferably, thanks.” Harry looked down to where Luke was indeed suspended in the air once more, dropping him gracelessly back onto his two feet.

Michael immediately surged forwards, winding around Luke and, you guessed it, nosing his neck like he was some kind of dog. North Dakotans are so weird.

“So, as I was saying,” Luke said as he brushed off his shoulders, “I want Sherwood. All of it. And you can’t say no, because there is something, or should I say, someone, at stake.”

Harry rolled his eyes, “And who would that be?” Luke laughed, Calum chuckled next to me, and Niall, Hailee, and Ashton looked uneasy. Welcome to the club. I’m beginning to feel like cattle sent to auction.

“It’s simple. Either I get Sherwood or your mea, your choice.” Harry closed his eyes and backed off, and Liam and Zayn audibly swore, Liam, kicking at the dirt.

“And how in hell would you get him?” Harry asked, sounding a lot less confident than he did before. “Simple. I sent Mikey out to do some snooping. Mea lives in Hemmings territory. He’s technically my pack. And Calum here has been awfully lonely lately.”

Calum nodded and faux pouted for emphasis, laying his head on my shoulder. I’m sure that my uncomfortable aura was tangible in the air. And I’m beginning to get pissed about being referred to like I am an object of trade value.

“But,” Luke said, circling Harry like he was evaluating a prize racehorse, “I can, out of the kindness of my heart, make an exception. I get the land, and I make him immune. His property will be neutral.”

I am so damn confused. Territory, property, I have no clue what on earth they are talking about. Liam must have sensed my confused expression, because he stepped in and interrupted Harry’s deep thinking, flipping Michael off when he tried to intercept him.

“Don't you think that this should be a private conversation?” “No, because I’ve made up my mind. Take it.” Harry said, roughly grabbing Luke’s hand. Luke grinned and shook the offered hand.

“But, a vote, what…” Zayn said, looking and sounding lost. “I will not risk him. Now, paws off.” Harry said, aiming the last imperative at Calum, who gave me once last nuzzle before backing away.

I shot to my feet and dusted off my clothing, glaring at Calum and everyone else. Harry went to walk over to me, but I held up my hand and he stopped, features etched into a frown.

“I don’t know what the fuck just happened, but let me know whenever you are ready to explain. I’m going to class.” I said, turning and leaving all of them behind.

Who the hell did they think they were, objectifying me like that? What kind of shady shit was Harry into that caused all of this? He acts like he’s the leader of some gang or the mafia.

Great.

I’m falling for Al Capone Jr.

 


	41. Alexa: Play Wolves By One Direction

I stomped into the school building, feeling icky where Calum had put his hands all over me. It just didn’t feel right. Sure, I was still pissed at Harry- well, not pissed, more confused than anything- but that doesn’t mean I automatically hate him.

Walking alone through the hallway felt lonely like I was bared naked to the entire student body. Ben and Jack rounded the corner right in front of me, blocking me from continuing on to the Latin room. “Where are our friends?”

I laughed bitterly in their faces, probably sounding like I had lost it. “Oh, your friends? They’re outside if they haven’t kidnapped someone else, that is.” I said, shoving between them. “What are you on about?” Jack asked, eyebrows furrowed. “Calum is a little handsy. Interpret that as you wish.”

I slunk into the Latin room, taking a seat at our usual table and taking out my books. The teacher eyed me but didn’t say anything, continuing to eat his food. Finally, someone that knows how to mind their own damn business.

The bell rang and I groaned, not really feeling the whole having to deal with Harry thing today. I was already freaked out enough. Harry stormed in, guns blazing and apologies on his lips, ones that I didn’t want to hear spill. He sat down next to me and just pouted, his desperate gaze visible in my peripheral view. I’m not dealing with it, not gonna fall for it. I was roaring mad at him, royally pissed. I was going to stand my ground and stay strong.

That lasted for about five minutes.

In my defense, I was kind of forced into listening to him. Harry had sighed and raised his hand, getting the teacher’s attention. “I’m going to the bathroom and I’m taking Louis with me.” He said, not asking, just saying. Little respect Harry, don’t you think?

The teacher just nodded and waved him off, and that brings us to now, where I am reluctantly trudging behind him down the corridor to the bathroom. He pulled me in after him and locked the door, crowding me against the sink.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he put a finger over my lips before I could get anything out. I had the right mind to haul off and bite it. “First off, are you ok? Calum didn’t hurt you or anything did he? Because if he did, I’ll-“

“’M fine. Freaked out and confused, but I’m fine.” I said, pushing his finger from in front of my face. “And I think I know exactly what is going on,” I swear to you that Harry paled.

“Y-You, you do? He squeaked, running a hand through his hair. “Yep,” I said, not actually sure of anything, but it was fun to make him squirm. I mean, really, a gang was the only option at this point.

“Shit, Lou, I can explain everything, please don’t be scared. We don’t even hurt anyone really, especially humans. And it’s only really bad like once a month, so you’re good there. And I don’t even shed, that’s a lie. Well maybe I do shed, but that’s just hearsay. And the teeth, they’re rarely the-“

“Harry, what the fuck are you on about?” I ask, royally confused. Teeth, hurting, shedding, what is he talking about? What does that have to do with gangs at all?

“You said you know about the werewolf thing.” He said, voice sounding small, almost like he was being genuine. I laughed, making him frown and furrow his eyebrows. “Harry, stop joking. You’re in a gang, aren’t you?”

“Um, they’re typically called packs, but potato-potato.” ”What do you mean they’re called packs?” “Werewolves, we live in packs.” I looked him dead in the face, searching for any sign of the glint that typically displays itself in his eyes when he’s teasing.

The only thing I saw there was honesty.

“Harry, there is no such thing as werewolves,” I said slowly so that maybe he’d hear me and break out of whatever this is. “Yes, there are. You just said that you knew about them- oh. Oh my god. Oh my god, you weren’t talking about that, you thought that I was in a gang. You don’t know. Oh shit, how could I be so stupid? Now you know!” He was pacing around the bathroom, pulling at his own hair.

“Harry, you’re freaking me out. Please explain.” Harry gave a choked scream and hit the wall with his hand, leaving a ­dent in the ceramic, making me jump. How did he do that?

“Haz,” I whispered, backing up against the door. He froze and unclenched his fists, taking a deep breath and turning towards me. “I am so sorry, sometimes I just snap, I will never hurt you though.” He said, coming closer and closer, making me shrink farther and farther into the wall like I could hide in it.

“What are you?” I asked, just wanting answers. There was no way he was what he claimed he was, they weren’t even real. They were stories that your mommy told you at night of magical beasts. Harry was in a gang or something, or I was dreaming all of this.

He wasn’t a-a- He just wasn’t.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed, resting his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, then opened his eyes.

Those were not Harry’s beautiful eyes.

I could feel my breathing get choppy, and I did the first evasive maneuver I could think of. I reached behind me and undid the latch on the door, pushing it open. Harry stumbled forward as I practically sprinted down the hallway, heading towards the first exit that I could find.

“Louis, wait” I heard him call out behind me, making me slow for a second and turn around, meeting my own tearful eyes with his now beautiful ones. “Stay. Just stay.” I said, continuing on my way to the air outside.

 _Need air, had to have it._ This was so fucked up There was no way that this was happening, that this could be real.

But Harry’s eyes and the low whining noise he was making were telling me otherwise. His strange quirks and habits were singing a different song. What I knew wasn’t what should even be fathomable.

I just need to breathe. I pushed the door open with weak arms and stumbled to the locker rooms, planting my hands on it and heaving, trying to ground myself with the feel of the bricks under my sensitive fingertips.

 _Breathe in_ this is a prank _breathe out_ none of this is real _breathe in_ but why would he lie _breathe out_ this is a bad dream I just wanna wake up.

For the first time, I welcomed unconsciousness with open arms.


	42. What's Mine Is Mine, But I Am His

Waking up is a strange concept. You are going from a peaceful realm of fairies and surreal visions to one of monsters and reality. It should be the other way around, don’t you think?

So everything was a dream. I’m in the car with Ben and Jack, or my mom, or Harry before all of this bullshit. I’m going to open my eyes and see one of their familiar faces and be riding somewhere in town or the outskirts, maybe I’m on the way to Zayn’s to play games, or to the Drop to swim. I am most definitely not in the backseat of Michael’s car, head perched on some bundled up shirt, “Grandson” blaring through the speakers.

Nope, this isn’t happening either.

“Rise and shine, sweetcheeks, it’s been a while, welcome to the land of the living!” He said, cheerfully tapping on the steering wheel to the beat of the song. “Why the hell am I here? With you?” He grinned and changed the song to something more mellow, I think it was The Strumbellas.

“Well, I found you conked out like a lush on the ground outside, so I decided to kidnap you for the second time today. Also, it smells like you finally talked to Harry, and you might be looking for some answers.”

“What do you mean, smell like I’ve been? And can you please stop with the whole kidnapping thing, thanks?” He laughed and pulled off of the road, onto a barely passable access road, remaining silent until he parked by a pond, the sound of frogs ringing through the air.

I looked at the time and saw that it was nearly time to get out of school, meaning I had been passed out for almost two hours. ”Before you ask, I took your phone and texted your brothers, told them that you had a ride home and that you may be a little late.”

I scoffed and took my phone from his outstretched hand, flipping through it to make sure that he hadn’t changed anything.

“Now I want some explanations,” I said, climbing over the console and into the front seat. Michael leaned his chair back and crossed his arms, pondering something. “What Harry said was true. He wouldn’t lie to you, physically can’t.”

“He can’t be telling the truth, there is no such thing as werewolves.” Michael rolled his eyes and sat up, leaning across the center console to get in my face. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” He said lowly, and oh god his eyes.

They were a bright, brilliant blue, seeming to glow. I squeaked and covered my mouth, feeling tears well up in my eyes. This was all a bad dream.

Michael grabbed my arms and shook me, looking me in the eye with his unnatural ones. “Louis, I need you to breathe. I need you to understand what’s going on. I need you to believe in the unbelievable because it’s in love with you.”

“What do you mean it’s in love with me?” I hiccupped, fretfully wiping at my face. “God, are you blind? Harry is so in love with you. He gave you his necklace after only a day of knowing you, he's pledged himself to you. I can smell it on him; smell him on you. You reek of it, to be honest.”

“Smell, what do you mean? And what about my necklace?” I asked, rubbing the airplane between my fingers as I stared out the window.

“Mint and the sharp pine scent of the forest, Harry’s signature scent. You smell like strawberries, but there are traces of him all over you, like a blanket. Sometimes is masks your own scent.” Michael said, wrinkling his nose for effect. “That necklace, it's a gift from a wolf to his mate, if the mate is not yet a wolf themselves. Luke gave me mine-my antler-before he turned me. And not to mention the stalking, you have a larger protection detail on you than the goddamn president. Those furry motherfuckers you see around the house all of the time? Harry has eyes on you constantly. Cute, even if it’s a little suffocating.”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” I muttered numbly, staring over Michael’s shoulder into the pond. Maybe I could just walk in and never come back out.

“Louis, I’m not kidding. I need you to think, think of everything Harry has done with you, done around you? What has he done?” I closed my eyes and thought about everything from that first deep “hi.” How he hovered over me, accompanied me everywhere. How he always nuzzled my neck and got agitated when I had been near someone else. How he had grumbled and yipped and growled and purred. How he did things without reason, strange things. How he called me “mine.” How he had made me his.

“Fuck,” I whispered, feeling numb. “Harry’s a werewolf.” 


	43. Head Bitch In Charge

“Ladies and gents, he can be taught. Now come on, it’s about time that I got you home before Harry shows up and tries to rip the door off of the car or something else drastic. I don’t even want to think about what he’s going to do when he smells you.”

I nodded and sunk back into the chair, rubbing the leather under my fingers. What have I gone and gotten myself into?”

Michael pulled up outside of my house, unlocking the door and turning to look at me. “Are you going to be okay?” “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He nodded and waved me off. I slid out of the car, but before I shut the door, I turned back, “Michael, you and Harry aren’t the only two, are you?” “Oh god no, there’s Harry’s pack and Luke’s, not to mention the rogues. There are hundreds.”

“Right. Packs. Hundreds. Ok.” I waved at him and turned to the house, trudging in. I was not up to dealing with my mom or brothers right now. All I wanted was a nap. Why can the odds never be in my favor?

“LouBear, hey. It’s so nice that you got a ride from a new friend, you seem to be dealing with the move well. Harry said that you left your backpack at school, so he stopped by to bring it. I told him to just wait for you upstairs.” Of course, she did.

I nodded and shuffled up the stairs, dreading this. I pushed open my bedroom door, and instantly Harry was on me, all of me.

“I’m sorry, so sorry.” He whispered over and over again into the skin on my neck, the words searing me like a brand. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to cry again. “Why do you smell like him?” Harry asked, never pulling away, just fisting his hands in the fabric of my shirt. “

What, like Michael?” Harry picked his head up and he was crying, eyes red-rimmed and lips puffy. He nodded pitifully and wiped at his eyes. If I were a weaker person, I’d just crumble right there and let him do whatever. But I deserve answers.

“Sit,” I told him, pointing to my bed. It was almost comical how fast he complied, looking like he was waiting for a treat. Well of course he is, he’s a dog.

“Now, I want some answers. Starting with how the hell you’re a werewolf.” He picked at his fingers and rocked nervously, so out of his element. Usually, he was the stoic one. “I was just born into it. My dad was one, my mom was one, their parents were, so forth and so on. I was born with little teeth and claws. My mom always picks on me because I figured out that I could shift when I was like, two, and spent a sold six months as a cub, just terrorizing everyone. Apparently, I was an ankle biter.”

He was smiling fondly the whole time, looking at his hands, which he was turning and moving. I could see his fingernails grow and then get shorter. I took a deep breath, “Ok, so that covers that. So, Liam and-“

“Zayn was born one, his mom is like the pack doctor. She was cooking herbs the day that you met her. Both of the girls are as well. Liam was turned in eighth grade, he wanted it-we didn’t force him to do anything.”

“What do you do? Like in the… pack?” He laughed, falling back onto the bed and covering his face. It actually sounded pretty cynical.

“Why Louis, I thought that you would have figured that out by now.” I stopped my pacing and cocked my head at him. He smiled darkly and sat up, running his hands through his hair.

“It’s quite simple. I’m the Alpha.”


	44. Like Us.

“Y-you-you are in charge of the entire pack? You’re only seventeen!” “I’ve been Alpha since I was fifteen. Didn’t have a choice.” So, not only was he a werewolf, he was king of all the werewolves.

Of course.

“In the bathroom earlier, you were saying stuff about not hurting people. Elaborate.” “I mean what I said. I don’t hurt people, humans, like you. Again, I’m so sorry about hitting you. I swear on my life that it was purely accidental. Occasionally there have to be fights and other Weres get hurt, but that’s all part of the job. It’s inevitable. But I have never laid a hand on a mortal. And I will never lay a hand on you again, mea.”

As he spoke, Harry’s eyes began to bleed into red, his fists and teeth clenching. “Harold, it’s not that comforting that you’re turning right now.” He swore and closed his eyes, and his features slipped pack into their normal coy, playful look. “And I forgave you for hitting me. I know it was an accident.” I subconsciously lifted the sleeve of my shirt and rubbed at the bruise as I spoke, and I could see the hurt in his eyes. He feels so bad about it when really it was no big deal.

We had a staring contest for a few long minutes, a thousand thoughts flying through my head. Should I scream and run, call the pound, or just accept this like a GIANT quirk. I mean, he did say that he didn’t shed, that has to count for something.

“I need you to say something,” Harry said finally, hands picking at his pants leg, and there was not a hole in the knee of his pants when he sat down. He saw me looking and retracted the claws again, smiling apologetically.

“Okay.” I finally said, relaxing my shoulders and dropping my defensive stance.

“Okay?”

“I said okay. I’m going to need a lot more answers, but okay for now.” Harry’s face lit up and he tapped his feet, looking like he was going to implode. God, you just can’t deny that face.

“Come here,” I said, opening my arms. He shot across the room and wrapped me in a hug, picking me completely up off of the floor and swinging me around. “Not holding back on the strength now, I see.” “You have no idea, mea. Now, I hate to be needy, but I’ve gone like, all day without a kiss, so-“ I cut him off with my lips on his, my stupid smile probably ruining the kiss, but oh well.

“That good enough?” I asked once I pulled away, playing with the baby hairs on the back of his neck. He nodded and kissed me again like he couldn’t get enough of it.

“Can I get down now?” Harry looked down to where my feet were still suspended and grinned sheepishly, setting me back down sturdily. “Now, I need a nap. You’ve worn me out with this bullshit.” I said, walking over to the bed and climbing in, kicking my shoes off onto the floor. Jesus, he looked so pitiful.

“That was an invitation, Rover.” He beamed and pulled off his own shoes, practically fell into my laundry basket, then climbed into the bed right behind me, pulling me up against him. “I thought it was Moose.” He said, wrapping his arms around me.

Oh.

I didn’t even think about that.

“Please for the love of sweet baby Jesus tell me you’re not Moose.” I squeezed my eyes shut, praying for an obvious truth to be false. “In the flesh.” I could hear the smirk in his voice. I think that I am going to legitimately die of embarrassment.

“So every time I talked..” “Oh yeah, you were talking about me to me. ‘Oh Moose, Harry is so nice. So handsome. He smells good.’ I heard all of it, mea.”

Honestly, I hate him so much. “I’m beginning to rethink letting you stay. I should kick you out.” “No need to be rude, I’ll be quiet.”

I hummed and snuggled back into him, wrapping one leg around his. I don’t even care if my mom or brothers walks in. I’ve found my new favorite place to be.

Harry was still for about a minute before he poked me in the back, making me groan. “Sorry if you were falling asleep, but there’s a problem.” “And what would that be, you needy child?” “You um, still smell like Michael.”

I rolled my eyes, “Go ahead, do whatever it is that you do.” Okay, being rolled on top of what not what I had in mind. “You’re squishing me,” I said, face smashed in his shoulder. He made a noise of confirmation and rubbed his head against my jaw, nose tracing my shoulder. It feels like I’m being mopped.

He gave a satisfactory chirp and rolled back beside me, pressing me against his chest again. He’s really into the whole man-handling thing. Same dude.

“Now can I take a nap?” “Yes mea, you can take a nap. What would a day with you be without you napping?” The last thing I felt was fingertips on my arms and lips on the back of my neck.


	45. I'm Coming Out (Of The Closet)

When I woke up, there were shadows stretched across the floor and my back was awfully cold. I didn’t like it. I felt around for Harry, then sat up and blinked until the room came into focus. His shoes were gone off of the floor and the covers on his side of the bed were straightened out the best that he could. The only thing out of the ordinary was my window that was ajar, a note taped to this side of the glass.

I stood up out of bed and grabbed it, opening it to see Harry’s messy scrawl. “Mea, I don’t think that your mom finding me in your bed is the best idea at the moment. Leave the window cracked, and I’ll be back. ‘Till again.” I folded the note gently and put it in my desk drawer under a deck of cards. God, I’m such a woman.

“Lou, come down for supper!” mom called up the stairs. I went down and she already had the table set up with spaghetti and breadsticks. “Did Harry leave?” She asked, doling some onto my plate. “Yea, he showed himself out.”

“Oh really, because I didn’t see him leave,” Ben said, stabbing at a meatball with his fork. I have a feeling that the meatball was but an extension of Harry’s face. “Well, I’m not hiding him in my closet. He’s gone.” Ben rolled his eyes and we ate the rest of the meal in peace.

In this family, you can always speak too soon.

“Oh, Mom, the football list gets posted tomorrow,” Jack said, peeling the crust off of his bread. “Really? Are either you or Ben gunning for quarterback this year?” “I’m going for the wide receiver, Ben was looking at QB though.”

I snorted and took another sip of tea, looking at them over the top of my glass. “Got something to say, Lewis?” Ben asked, setting down his fork. “I watched the tryouts. You aren’t getting QB. Z is a shoo-in. And Calum, prick that he is, is going to get the wide receiver, because he’s got the hands. You play like someone coated your hands in butter.”

“Louis Tomlinson, that was not nice at all. Apologize to your brothers.” Mom said, pointing at me and giving me the mom look. “What, it’s the truth? Sorry if they’re too dense to see what’s in front of them.”

“You don’t have room to talk. You didn’t even try out.” Jack said, more like yelled. “Sorry, being a Neanderthal isn’t on my list of things to do.”

“Oh, I know who is though,” Ben said, and I may or may not have picked up my knife. Before blood could be shed, Mom slammed her hand on the table and took the knife from me, standing up with a huff.

“Boys, just hush and go to bed, what’s done is done. Just stop fighting, for God’s sake.”

I smirked and shoved another roll in my mouth, heading upstairs to get the first bath.  
When I walked out of the bathroom, towel around my waist and back to my room, I half expected to see Harry on the bed. A quick scan of the room proved him absent, so I dropped my towel and slid on boxers and very sneakily put on Harry’s shirt that I had still not given back. Who can blame me?

I plugged my phone in and laid in the bed, pulling the covers over my shoulders. Crap, I forgot to turn out the lights. I dramatically groaned and got back up, walking over to the light switch. When I put my hand on it, there was a loud noise from inside of my closet, like something had fallen off of the shelf in there.

I padded over and opened the door, shrieking in surprise. Harry sheepishly waved from his spot on the floor, rack of clothes fallen on his head. “I was going to make a joke about coming out of the closet, but then I fell.” He said, flipping a pants leg off of his forehead.

“How long have you been in there?” I asked, helping him to his feet. “Um, since the second verse of “Baby Got Back,” I think. Interesting shower song choice, by the way.”

“Lou, are you alright?” Mom asked, knocking on my door. I swore and shoved Harry back into the closet, shutting the door right as the room door opened. “Yea, I just tripped up and knocked over something.” She nodded and bid me goodnight, shutting the door after herself.

I opened the door back up, where Harry was sitting sprawled where he fell. He stood up slowly and grimaced, rubbing his butt. “I think you’ve broken my ass.” He said, wiggling it a little for emphasis.

“That, my dear, comes later,” I said, winking and walking back over to the bed.

He appeared in front of me in a whirlwind, cocky smirk in place. I am beginning to think that super speed was one of the perks of being a Were. “I believe, mea, that I’ll be the one doing the breaking.” He said lowly, pulling me towards him by the hips. “Is that a fact?”

He nodded and pulled me in for a kiss, leaning so that I could reach him. Such a gentleman. He grinned into the kiss and pulled back, making me chase. I retract all compliments of his chivalry.

“You’re wearing my shirt.” He said, tugging on the hem of it. “Quite a perceptive one, you are. Would you rather I take it off?”

“Mm, that sounds divine, but I don’t think that your mother would appreciate that very much. Her little baby boy, getting all hot and sweaty. Her pure, innocent little baby.” Harry said, slowly sliding his hands up under the shirt, his fingertips dancing across my back. Now is not the time for a boner, because then I’ll have to deal with it.

I bit my lip and perched up on my tiptoes to try and kiss him again. I was so close to getting one, but then my damn door had to open.

I whipped around and widened my eyes at Jack, who was standing there looking awfully confused. “I can explain,” I said, fumbling to straighten my shirt. “Explain what?” “

Explain…” When I turned to look at Harry, he wasn’t there. The window was open and the curtain was waving in the breeze, but other than that there was no sign of anything amiss.

“I just wanted to say goodnight… Why are you all flushed and bug-eyed? And you’re going to catch a cold if you leave that window open all night .” He walked across the room to it and closed the sash, flicking the lock. I ran a hand over my face and groaned, stalking forward and snatching him by the arm, ushering him out and shutting the door. “Nothing to be concerned with, kay thanks bye!”

I let out a breath and leaned against the frame, peeking around to see if Harry had appeared. I looked under the bed and in the closet, but no sign of him.

I screeched a little bit and clutched at my chest when there came a tapping on the window, Harry’s face upside down on the other side. “Let me in!” He whispered-yelled, tapping at the pane. I scurried over and unlocked it once more, stepping back so that he could hop, well, flounce, back in.

“I was stuck to the roof like a spider monkey.” He said, dusting off his blackened palms. “Whatever you say, Ricky Bobby.” He laughed, then pulled me into a loose hug, swaying me gently, “Sadly, I believe that the moment was ruined by your nosy little shits of brothers. Shall we sleep now?”

I rolled my eyes at his fake posh accent and finally flipped the light switch, climbing into bed for the hopefully final time of the night. Harry slid in behind me and latched his arms around me once more, settling his chin in the crook of my neck. “

I’m happy.” He murmured, each word spelled out by the drag of his lips on my skin. “And why’s that?” “You smell like us.”


	46. Operation Sleepover

When I woke up the next morning, Harry was once again gone from the bed, but this time the covers were still undone and his shoes were on the floor, grungy brown boots piled next to my Vans.

“Harry?” I stood up and ruffled my hair, peeking around the room and looking in the closet again. That seems to be his favorite hiding place.

Where the hell is he?

I opened the door to the hall and peeked out, making sure that Ben and Jack’s room door was still shut and there were no lights from the downstairs. “Harry!” I hissed down the hallway, waiting to hear a reply. The only thing that I could hear was the shower running.  
So that’s where he went.

I eased down the hall and pushed the door open, shutting it after me with a gentle push, spotting the pile of assorted black clothes on the floor. Instantly the soft humming in the shower was replaced by growling, making me laugh. “It’s only me, Haz, but if it wasn’t, I think that the growling would have been a bit of a concern.”

“Don’t sneak up on a wolf like that, we’re hardwired to bite your head off. I was just catching a shower before everyone woke up.”

“I’m disappointed that you didn’t smell me,” I said, leaning against the wall. “I’m in a muggy shower, give a wolf a break.”

“Lewis, you’ve got about ten seconds to make yourself decent, because I gotta piss.” Ben’s voice came through the door.

Oh shit, god, fuck.

“Harry, I’m coming in.” I hissed, slipping into the shower. As I pulled my leg in without slipping and falling, I heard the door creak open and hit against the wall. Harry, all soapy headed, looked at me with wide eyes and half-heartedly covered himself with the loufa.

I definitely did not want to steal a glance downwards, nope not at all.

I disturbingly heard Ben finish peeing and flush, then the door shutting again, without washing his hands. Disgusting.

“Louis, you know that you can get out now, right?” Harry said with a tight voice, “I don’t like the fact that I can’t smell you in here, so please get out.” “Oh, ok. Sorry love.” I stepped out onto the rug and grabbed a towel from the rack, wiping down the water that had hit my legs.

“I’m going to go grab you a set of clothes, I’ll be right back.” He hummed his response and I left, checking that the coast was clear before scurrying back to my room.

What the hell do I have that Harry can even fit in? Umm, athletic shorts and a big t-shirt. He’s just going to have to free-ball. That’s not a half-bad case of imagery.

I went to leave but ran straight into a wet Harry, who was coming around the corner into my room. He still had water droplets running down his skin, dripping off of his hair that hung loosely around his face, curls beginning to regain their shape. He just had the towel wrapped around his waist, riding low on his hips. I had no shame, and just took my time admiring him, clothes still dumbly clutched in my hand.

“May I have the clothes, please?” He asked, smirking as I ogled. “You may not.” He scoffed and plucked the clothes from my hand, kissing me on the head as he passed by.

“Stay turned around now, be a good boy.” I rolled my eyes but stayed facing the doorway, tapping my foot while I waited. No, I wasn’t fighting a blush.

He finished and wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his nose to the back of my neck, humming softly. “I could definitely get used to early mornings with you.” “Oh really?” He nodded and spun me around, giving me one last satisfactory sniff.

“But now I gotta go, because I refuse to go underwear-less at school, no matter how comfortable it is.” “Pity.”

He smiled and ruffled my hair, slipping on his boots. Now that was a sight. An orange Clemson Tigers Dad shirt, black Adidas basketball shorts, and lace-up boots. If I was a meaner person, I would take a picture.

“I can hear you judging me.” “You do have super senses, so…” He smiled and pulled me into a hug, which was nice. Really nice. “I’m so glad that you are ok about the whole wolf thing. Like you aren’t in a mental ward right now, so that’s ace.”

“You should have seen me with Michael, I was a fucking mess.”

I could feel him tense under my hands and take a step back, “Don’t- just don’t talk about him. Please.” I nodded and kissed him once more, following him over to the window.

He slid it open and threw his legs out, getting his footing on the roof. With a final wink, he jumped down to the ground, a leap that I’m sure would have broken anyone else legs.

I winced as he made contact, letting out a held breath when he gave me a thumbs up. He went to walk into the woods, then swore and turned around, whisper-yelling up that he had left his phone on my dresser. I grabbed it went to throw it down to him, but I will not be responsible if he can’t catch it and it breaks. “Hey, I’m going to bring it down, give me a second.”

He gave me a thumbs up and walked around to the side of the house with the back porch. I slid on a pair of sandals and eased down the hall, tip-toeing past my brother’s rooms and strategically skipping the creaky step on the staircase. You can learn a lot about a house in two weeks, especially when the majority of the time is spent sneaking around with your boyfriend and wolf buddies.

Mom’s door was still shut, so I turned off the alarm system and opened the door, taking in a deep breath when the nippy air brought out the goosebumps on my skin.

I got about two steps onto the porch before I was grabbed from behind, making me squeal and kick my feet. The perpetrator groaned and turned me loose, sounding awfully familiar.

I whipped around to Harry rubbing his shin, pouting. “I was just messing with you, no need to get violent.” He said. “Well, then you shouldn’t sneak up on me.”

He stuck his tongue out at me and took his phone, the playful twinkle in his eyes lighting up his features. “I’ll see you at school, m-“

He got cut off by a bundle of fur barreling through the line of the trees, falling over their feet in their taste. They were all teeth and growls, tail lashing. I was more surprised than anything, while Harry was trying his hardest not to crack up.

The wolf stopped growling slowly, cocking his head to the side. “Hey, dumbass,” Harry said, finally cracking a smile. “Now who is this?” I asked, looking over the sandy wolf. “Take your guess.”

I gave him a once over, taking in the confused hazel eyes, light fur, and lithe frame. “My money’s on Zayn.” “And we have a winner. Also, he’s very confused. Wants to know how you know it’s him.” I raised my eyebrows, but before I could get the question out of my mouth, Harry answered. “We have telepathy. Everyone in the pack can communicate through our thoughts. We feel feelings, too.”

Of course, he can. “Um, his human body and wolf frame match. And his eyes.”

Zayn rolled said eyes and flicked his tail, lumbering back off into the woods. “He said whatever, he doesn’t see the similarities. And that he’d see you at school.”

“You need to get going too, or you’ll be late. Meet me in the parking lot?” He nodded and kissed me again, skipping down the steps and into the woods.


	47. Fresh Bruises

“Why were you outside?” I jumped from my mother’s unexpected voice when I walked back into the house, possibly letting out a less than manly squeak. “I was, um, I uh, thought that I heard something. Just checking.” “Mhm, right. We’ll go with that. Go get ready for school, breakfast will be ready in ten minutes.”

I nodded and jogged back up the staircase, going to my room to get ready. When I opened the door to my room, Jack was standing in the middle holding something in his hand, tapping his foot with his lips pursed. My eyes zeroed in on what he was holding, and a nervous sweat instantly broke out.

“Louis, whose clothes are these, and why are they in the bathroom?” He asked, calm façade rather unnerving. “They’re mine, whose else’s would they be?”

He looked unimpressed and threw the clothes onto my bed, crossing his arms. “Louis, I seriously doubt you listen to Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers, let alone have a merch shirt. Nor can you wear pants this long. And I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a pair of banana boxers lying around the house. Also, you never sleep on the left side of the bed, so why are the covers and pillow all messed up?”

As he spoke, he walked closer and closer until I was leaned against the dresser. “Great observations, Sherlock. The clothes are mine, and I had a restless sleep, so whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong.” My voice wavered as I spoke, and Jack picked up on it like a fucking bloodhound.

“I’m thinking of one thing. And I swear to God, if I catch him in here I’ll kill him.” “Harry was not in here!” I yelled, crowding back up against Jack. “See, I didn’t give a name but you said his, which confirms my suspicions!”

I groaned and poked him in the chest, narrowing my eyes. “You don’t know shit, Jack.” He rolled his eyes and backed off, heading for the door. “Whatever. Nice hickey by the way.”

I faltered and grabbed my neck, looking in the mirror, eyes zeroing in on the red mark next to my jaw. “Looks fresh,” he smirked and left my room, leaving me pissed and red-faced.

Next time Harry stays over, we’ve got to be better at covering our tracks.


	48. A Swing and a Miss

We were all silent during breakfast- Jack luckily not mentioning his early morning sleuthing- and on the ride to school, but shit went down when we got there.

I saw Harry standing by his car waiting on me, Liam and Zayn nowhere to be found. When Jack pulled his seat forward for me to climb out, my shirt sleeve rode up, just enough to show the vibrant bruise Harry left a few days before on accident.

I barely had stepped to the ground when Jack snatched me to him, roughly pulling the shirtsleeve up more until you could see the entire bruise, pale green and blue almost a perfect circle in the middle of my bicep.

“Louis, how did you get this?” As Jack stared me down, Ben circled around the side of the Jeep to see what was going on. “It’s the bruise Ben gave me, dipshit,” I said, trying to jerk it away. Harry was looking over, and even behind his sunglasses, I could see that he was squinting to see what was going on.

“No, it’s not,” Ben said, lifting my other arm to expose the barely even there bruise he left, a perfect line. “It was an accident,” I babbled, trying to subtly signal for Harry to get the hell out of the parking lot. Dumbass thought I meant for him to come help.

“Louis who did this?” Ben asked, and of course, now he chooses to actually care about me. “He didn’t mean to, just let it go,” I begged, pleading silently for Harry to just go inside. He only walked faster towards us.

Jack set his jaw and I could hear him grind his teeth. “Harry did this?” He asked quietly.

“N-No, I mean, he didn’t mean to, honestly, he didn’t do anything-” Harry was almost to us, and I could tell the moment Ben and Jack saw him.

Jack let me go and dropped his bookbag, stalking over to Harry.

“Harry, look out!”

But before the words could even get all of the ways out of my mouth, Jack was rearing back and swinging hard at Harry’s face. He made contact with a loud crack, and I closed my eyes out of reflex.

When I opened them again, Harry was still standing, rubbing his cheek with a confused expression, his sunglasses broken on the ground by his feet. “Those were Ray-Bans,” he mumbled, then hauled back and gave Jack a good punch, sending him sprawling.

“Why are we hitting each other?” He asked me, stepping over Jack. Ben stood in front of me, bowed up like a cobra ready to strike. “They saw the bruise on my arm,” I said quickly before Ben could tell me to shut up.

Harry winced and swore, looking back at Jack, who was groaning and sitting up, rubbing his face. “Guys, that was an accident, Louis knows that.”

“I already told them that, Dumb and Dumber just can’t process it.” Ben elbowed me and told me to shut up, knocking the wind out of me, and I could see an immediate shift in Harry.

His eyes did the Alpha thing and his stalked right up to Ben, out for blood. “Ah shit, here we go,” I mumbled, stepping from behind Ben and getting in front of him, stopping Harry in his tracks.

“Oi, y'all quit it. Ben, he didn't mean to hit me. Harry, Ben’s always a dick, no need hitting him now. Jack, quit being a pussy and grow a pair. Harry, let’s go.”

All three of them gave protesting “but’s” and I silenced them with a glare, grabbing Harry by the collar and tugging him in the direction of the school.

“We’re talking about this later, Louis!” Ben yelled after me, but I just ignored him and plowed through the small crowd that had gathered, Harry in tow.

Why can’t my life go smoothly, just for one day? 


	49. Like Riding a Bike

Once we got inside, I pulled Harry into the maintenance closet I could find with a lock and shut the door, locking it. “You ok?” We asked at the same time. Despite the tense situation, we both giggled.

I reached up and cupped his jaw, eyeing the area, “Jack clocked you pretty good, sure he didn’t do any damage?” Harry turned his head and kissed my palm, leaning into my touch. “I’m pretty sure he fractured my cheekbone, but it’s all good now. Werewolf thing.” He said it so offhandedly like it was an everyday occurrence.

“Oh yeah, I broke my face but it’s all aces, mate.” I mocked, making him narrow his eyes and teasingly nip at my fingers. I flicked his nose in return and he put a hand on my arm, gently rubbing across the bruise.

“I’m sorry again,” he said, pulling me into a hug. “I know. I also know that it’s gonna be a shitstorm when Ben and Jack tell mom about this. It’s gonna take a miracle from God for her to let me keep seeing you.”

“I could steal you away. You’ve gotten really good at being kidnapped lately,” he offered, earning him a kick to the shin, “Not even funny, asshole.”

He snickered at his own joke anyways, so I countered with, “I could just tell her that I’m dating Calum now. She’ll be so creeped out by him you’ll be a saint in comparison.”

Harry tensed and pulled back, holding me at arm’s length. “Don’t even joke about being with Calum.” He said gruffly, eyes already red. I like possessive Harry, so I’ll keep egging him on.

“I wonder how he and I would smell? If I remember right, he smells like honey, that goes well with strawberries, yeah? Like a sweet summertime dessert.”

The look on Harry’s face could be considered murderous.

I love it.

Harry let loose the most ground-shaking growl I’d heard yet and took my wrists, pinning them to the wall above my head. “So, you wanna smell like Calum, huh?” He asked, voice so deep I could feel it in my bones. I bit my lip and nodded, making his eyes go black instead of red.

I’ve accessed a new level of Alpha Harry.

“That’s not being a very good boy. When I get through with you, no one will want to get with five feet of you. They’ll know whose you are, and what I can do to them if they touch you.”

I like where this is going.

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do to me, Alpha?”

That, my friends, is apparently Harry’s version of a Daddy Kink.

He was pressed against me in a heartbeat, lips frantically working against mine. He nipped and tugged on my lower lip until it ached. It was one of those bruising kisses where teeth clashed and tongues danced.

He let go of my wrists to instead pick me up and hold me against the wall that way, hands gripping my ass. My hands were knotted in his hair, it was overall very filthy. 10/10 would recommend.

He pulled away and drug his nose across my jaw and down to my throat, making me shiver. He kissed and licked my throat, teeth pressing against it. “One day,” he growled against the flesh, “I’m going to leave my mark right here.”

With that he bit lightly on the junction of my neck and shoulder, making me keen from the sensation.

“Harry, we’re gonna -fuck- we’re gonna be late for class,” I panted, tugging on his hair. “Don’t care, he said, grinding his hips into mine and oh that feels nice. No way this boner is gonna go away on its own accord now. Now or never, Louis.

“Put me down,” I said, dragging my fingernails down Harry’s arms. “Why I’m having so much fun up here,” He said, lips dragging on my neck.

“Because I’m gonna blow you.” Did I just seriously say that? Louis, you little hoe.

He stopped and pulled back, mouth shining and eyes wide, “Seriously?” I just smirked and tapped his shoulder, and he sat me down with a thud, eyes still black as coal.

Come on Louis, you can do this. Just like watching porn.

I dropped to my knees and reached for his fly, undoing it nimbly and pulling his pants down some and crikey that’s a big one.

Getting past the shock at the size, I wrapped a hand around him and started to slowly jack him off, focusing on developing a technique. It’s a lot different wanking from this angle. As my hand ran up and down his length slowly, I swiped my thumb gently across the head, looking up at Harry as he leaned against the wall, eyebrows furrowed as he clenched his fists by his sides.

It took me a few seconds to work up the gumption to actually turn it from a handjob to a blowjob, and it was so worth it for Harry’s reaction. He let out the prettiest groan and threw his head back, letting it rest against the cool wall. It was weird, a foreign feeling on my tongue, but I just pulled every popsicle trick out of the book and gave it my all. I could feel every ridge and bump on my tongue as I focused on the head, running my hand along the base and curling my other one on his hip.

Note to self, he REALLY likes kitten licks.

Now came the fun part. Actually putting the entire thing into my mouth. I got maybe four inches in before I gagged, making Harry moan loudly, hands finding their way into my hair. I swallowed around what I had and tried again, pushing it until I could take no more, head pressed against the back of my throat, swallowing the length to the best of my ability.

It was getting messy, spit running down onto my hand and precome salty on my tongue. Honestly what I expected of giving my first blowjob. Based on Harry’s reactions and expressions, I’d say I was doing a pretty good job so far.

“Lou, fuck, I’m gonna cum,” he said, voice breaking at the end. Well damn, if he sounds like that, I’m gonna be absolutely wrecked.

I wrapped one hand around his thigh and gave it my all for the home stretch, working him from all angles, swallowing around the girth in my mouth.

With a simply pornographic moan and a particularly harsh tug to my hair, he came in my mouth, which wasn’t nearly as nasty I had prepared for. Tasted a bit like salt and vinegar chips.

I pulled off with a lick to the head and swallowed, sitting back on my heels. I wiped my mouth and looked up to harry, ginning. He looked like he was having a stroke. His chest was heaving, his eyes were huge, and his mouth was ajar.

“You good?” I asked, and oh yeah my voice is shredded. “You’re amazing,” He huffed and slid to the floor, zipping his pants back up. “At least someone notices.”

He caught his breath for a second, then got onto his knees and leaned over where I was slumped on the opposite wall, smirking. “Your turn,” He whispered, unzipping my pants.

It was embarrassing how quickly I came. Honestly, I was just about there whenever Harry started tugging my hair while I was blowing him. Something about giving a blowjob got me off. As I said, I can be a little hoe.

I was spilling over his hands just a few strokes later, moaning into his neck, hands curled into the fabric of his shirt. He pulled back and I flopped against the wall again, pulling up my own pants. Then the little shit had to go and lick my fucking cum off of his hand. And he even had the audacity to smirk.

We both sat there in a mutual haze, just grinning at the other. “Is it still even first period?” He finally asked, pulling out his phone to check. “Shit it’s almost through the second period. We were in a blowjob timewarp.”

Yes, I slapped him upside the head for that. 


	50. Flammability

We just sat and talked in that closet until the bell for the third period rang and we snuck out and joined the throng of people pushing by, everyone parting to make room for Harry and me.

Now that I know he’s Alpha, I’m understanding some things. The whole “make way for His Majesty, Harold” thing wasn’t because he was a huge bully or asshole, it was because he was actual royalty. The bent heads and respectful gestures were because they were paying homage to the king. And the king picked me.

Suck on that, bitches.

“I’ll see you at lunch,” he whispered, kissing me and joining the flow towards his own class. Now I understand why Liam looks to be in physical pain whenever Zayn walks away.

The second I walked into math and headed to the back, you could immediately tell who were the werewolves. The school population wasn’t judging me when they cut looks as I passed by, they were looking at me because I was with Harry, even when he wasn’t with me.

I turned to Liam when I sat down, and he was looking at me with the most stank face, nose scrunched up and lip curled. “What’s up with your face?” I asked, pulling out my binder.

“Did you two have sex?” He hissed, less than nonchalantly sniffing the air. “No- I mean yes, well, sorta. Sex organs were involved.” Liam rolled his eyes and then held up a hand for a reluctant high-five. I slapped his hand happily, then leaned over and grinned. “If you only knew where that hand had been an hour ago.”

After Liam had thoroughly bathed in the germ-x on the teacher's desk, Michael walked in, standing next to me and sniffing. “I see you two made up?” He said eyebrow cocked. “And then some.” Then Michael patted me on the fucking back holy shit where’s TMZ?

He sat down without another word and left me, Liam, and the rest of the class in shocked silence. Even the teacher had halted writing on the board and was staring back at us. “Liam close your mouth, you’ll catch flies,” I said, and that pressed play on reality.

I refused to give Liam any of the juicy details throughout the remainder of the class period, especially on why Michael and I were friends now. I even helped Michael with his classwork, and the teacher was so happy that Michael had gotten an actual problem right. “Third time's the charm!” He had said happily as he taped Michael’s “80” to the board.

Liam and I had just walked out of the classroom and he was giving me a lengthy review of fat-free Nutella when my arm was snagged and I was pulled into a dark classroom, and I could hear Liam continuing to chatter down the hallway, probably not even noticing me being snatched.

Again.

This is starting to get old.

“Calum, for the love of fuck would you please stop kidnapping m- Ben?”

He was standing there with a pissed off expression, and I could see Jack sitting a desk across the room, hood up around his face. I bet he has a nasty bruise.

“Louis, we are not done talking about this morning. He hit you for God’s sake, can’t you see that he’s no good?” Ben was holding me still and looking me in the eye, and for once he looked sincere.

“As I said earlier, it was an accident. We were in the car at Genk’s and he slapped me playfully because I embarrassed him. On accident. He felt horrible about it, still feels horrible. I’m not going to write him off because of one mishap. If I did that, I would have disowned you long ago.”

Ben scoffed and let me go, leaning against the teacher's desk, “It’s like you have Stockholm syndrome or some shit. You’ve known him for a little over a week and he’s already got his claws in you.”

If only he knew how true that statement actually was.

“I like Harry. A lot. He’s good to me, and I wish you could see that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to lunch before he wonders where I am.” Before I could walk out of the door, Jack spoke up for the first time.

“Don’t expect us to put you out when he sets you on fire.” 


	51. Lack of Louis

Panicking was affirmative. Overreacting was an understatement.

“Liam, how in the holy fuck did you manage to lose him between math and the lunchroom? It’s literally a jump, skip, and a hop from door to door. Michael is probably chopping up potatoes for the Louis-Stew he and Calum are gonna make out of him. All because you can’t stay focused for more than five goddamn seconds.”

Liam looked like he was gonna puke. Harry had him backed up against a locker, and I could see Liam pitifully fishmouthing and blubbering from here. Zayn was nowhere to be seen.

“Harry, I-I swear he was next to me and then poof gone. Just gone. I don’t know when or how or by who.” Liam was actually crying, Harry was fucking terrifying. He looked angrier than when Calum kidnapped me. At least then he knew where I was.

Before Liam could shit himself, I sighed and walked over to them briskly, winding through the mass of people heading to lunch, all oblivious to Liam’s demise.

I could tell the second Harry sensed me, be it by my scent or just his spidey-senses tingling. He dropped his arm from by Liam’s head and whirled around to me, breathlessly whispering my name. I was pulled into a tight hug before I could say anything, and I could feel him rubbing his nose in my hair, kissing gently. He was giving a titanic performance for a bathroom trip absence.

“Honestly Harold, I was AWOL for a whopping three minutes, tops. No need to terrorize the village.” His grip tightened and he let out a short growl, “You’re mine. That includes me knowing where you are every second, and that you’re safe. Learn to deal with it.”

I sighed and patted his back, acquiescing to his affection, “Yeah, yeah, grr, woof. Whatever you say, big guy.” He gave a happy chirp and finally let go, the soft smile quickly turning into a pouty frown, making him look strikingly like a toad.

“Louis, where were you? And don't say the bathroom, I checked there first.” “I was with my brothers, they wanted to talk to me. We were in an empty classroom, no need to get your fangs in a twist.” Harry’s reply was interrupted by Zayn, who had Liam in a hug, “What the bloody hell did you do to Liam? He looks like he’s seen a ghost.”

Liam did indeed look horrified, eyes darting between Harry and I. “Don’t worry about it, Harry alpha-ed out a bit, tried to use Liam as a chew toy, all good.”

I am so going to be abusing the right to use all of these canine puns. The possibilities are endless.

Zayn just nodded in understanding, but Liam full on shrieked and pointed at me, staring at Harry, “He knows?”

Honestly, I didn’t think that Liam’s voice could get that high. Harry looked at Zayn, raising his eyebrows, “I thought you told him, Z.” “Nah mate, I was gonna leave that to you.”

Liam looked like he was going to have a heart attack, eyes wide. “Calm down, babe, yes, he knows,” Zayn said, rubbing his shoulder. “You mean, he knows knows?” Liam squeaked. “Yeah, I kinda let it slip and he figured out the rest,” Harry said sheepishly.

“Let it slip? How exactly did you manage to let that slip, Harry? ‘Oh, you’re really hot and I fantasize about you all of the time and I never shut up about you and I’m a werewolf and I want to kiss your face.’ Is that how you let it slip, Harold?” Liam yelled and yelled, getting closer and closer up in Harry’s face.

Harry let out one low growl and Liam flinched, but stood his ground, almost nose to nose with him. Liam growled back and Harry grabbed the back of his neck, making Liam’s brave front drop for a second, head dropping down to look at the floor.

“What, you’re gonna drop me here, in front of your mate? That’s a good first impression of the pack.” He hissed, making Harry’s eyes flash red-never gonna get used to that- and then he let go. I looked around nervously, seeing if people were watching or staff were around and would think we were fighting.

Harry and Liam glared at each other until Zayn stepped between them, pulling Liam in and whispering something to him harshly, making him whimper and bite his lip, nodding lightly. Zayn kissed him quickly on the top of his head and turned around, pointing at Harry.

“Sorry for being disrespectful…” Liam mumbled, getting a raised eyebrow from Zayn, “...and for not backing down.” Harry sniffed and grunted, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. Liam sighed and walked outside the hall slowly, Zayn loosely holding his hand.

Harry let out a deep breath and turned to me with a wry smile, wrapping his arm across my shoulders. “Sorry about that, the pack gets a little ornery sometimes.” He said, rubbing my shoulder as we walked towards the tree.

“Is he is like, in trouble with you?” I asked, looking up to meet his gaze. “Not really. It’ll be forgotten by the next period.” 


	52. How To Wolf 101

We walked a little way down the lawn before Harry stopped, looking across the yard at someone. It was a scrawnier boy, curly hair and nose ring intact. He cocked his head to the side and Harry whistled a short, low tune, making the boy give a thumbs up and continue his conversation with a girl from my English class. “What was that all about?” I asked, playing with the rings on his fingers.

“That’s Troye, he was wondering what the riff in the hallway was about.” “He’s pack?” “Yeah, he’s pack. My best tracker and one of my best defense personnel.” I looked back at the small boy, who looked like a strong wind would take him out, and looked at Harry in disbelief. “ _He’s_ a good defense? And did you say his name was Troye?”

“Yeah, Troye. Why?”

I thought back to the week before when Ben gave me that now faded bruise on my arm, and how he showed up with a black eye saying that “Troye did it for Louis” and stuff. If Troye is pack, then that means…

“You got him to punch Ben.”

Harry got that “deer in the headlights” looked and looked around, giggling nervously, “No I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Nope.”

“Yes, you did Harry.”

He caved, “Ok, I did. I would have done it myself but then your family wouldn’t have liked me. So I got Troye to do it.”

I smiled at him, so fond, “You are such a sweetheart sometimes, you know that?” He turned red at the ears and ducked his head, coughing, “No ‘m not.” He whined. “Whatever you say, dear.”

He pulled me in for a kiss and we kept walking, nearing the tree where Zayn and Liam already sat, Liam, looking miserable. A line from his and Harry’s argument came to mind, something Liam said about me being “mate.” “Hey, Harry?” “Yea mea?” “What did Li mean when he called me your mate?”

Harry sighed and thought for a minute, “How about you ask me anything you have questions about, and I’ll answer them. We can do it in Latin, too. I’ll just tell Nick that we need a free day.” “Who’s Nick?” I asked. “Nick, Nick Grimshaw, the Latin teacher. He is pack, he’ll get it.” “Of course he will.”

  
Poor Liam looked like he wanted to disappear, so I did what friends do. I plopped my ass into his lap and wrapped him in a big hug, rocking from side to side. “Sorry I didn’t tell you, Liam, I literally found out yesterday at like, two. You’re the, um,” I stopped to count on my fingers, “the fourth person to find out. Top five, Lima bean. Not too shabby.”

Liam visibly relaxed at that and grinned, hugging me back the best that he could.   
  
“It’s ok Louis, I get it. When I found out I clearly remember just flat out fainting. I woke up in Zayn’s bed and I hit him over the head with either the lamp or a hairbrush, I can’t remember.”

“Lamp,” Zayn muttered, rubbing at his head. Liam cooed and patted his head and then turned to me, “See, how you found out couldn't have been that bad.”

“I found out, freaked out, had a panic attack, passed out, and woke up in the middle of the woods in Michael’s car. I win, bitch.”

Liam choked on air and stared at me, then wordlessly pulled me into a tighter hug and patted my back. “Poor baby, my poor Louis,” he whispered. From across the circle, I heard a faint growl and looked over to see Harry tearing up clumps of grass and glaring over, looking like a petulant two-year-old.

“Awe, it’s ok Harry. I’ll come over and be _your_ poor Louis!” I said, climbing out of Liam’s lap and over to him. Harry scoffed, but it was hard to ignore the shit-eating grin he wore as I sat next between his legs, leaning back against his chest.

He wrapped his arms around me and rumbled deep in his chest, fingertips digging into my hips. Zayn wrinkled his nose, fanning at the air, “Jesus fuck, Harold, we get it, he’s yours.”

Harry huffed and pulled me tighter to him, pressing his face into the side of my neck. I smiled and patted his cheek, snuggling back into him. “You don’t smell that, Lou?” Liam asked, scooting back some. “Smell what?” “Harry’s scenting the shit out of you. You smell like a Christmas tree farm.” Harry growled in response and flipped them off.

“Question time! What’s scenting?” I asked, pulling away from Harry so I could turn and face him as well as the rest of the group. He pouted at me leaving his arms, but stretched out and answered nevertheless. “It’s basically pissing on you without pissing on you.”

“I’m sorry wham’st the fuck?”

“What our dear, sweet, crass Alpha is trying and failing to say,” Zayn said with a glare at Harry, “is that scenting is like marking. He’s basically covering you in his scent so that any other werewolves know you’re his. You’re human, which means you don’t really carry a distinct scent that detail your pack and status, just your natural scent affected by your shampoo/body wash. Take Liam for example. He has a distinct scent, but since he’s my mate, my scent and his have intermingled, so he always carries a bit of me wherever he goes. Since you aren’t a Were, Harry has to give you, for lack of better words, pheromone baths to mark you. After you mate, scenting is more of a comfort than a possession thing. If one of us is upset, the other will scent us to comfort us or calm us down. We can go days without contact and people will still be able to smell our bond. Harry has to renew his on you because you don’t really maintain the scent. Got it?”

I turned to Harry with a grin, finding him staring at the sky and at the trees and everywhere but at me. “You possessive little shit,” I said, barking out a laugh. “You don’t want to hug me, you just wanna metaphorically piss on me. Consider yourself exposed.”

He blushed and flopped over dramatically, landing with his face in my lap, “I am not a possessive little shit,” he whined, kicking his feet for emphasis. “Whatever you say, dear.” He huffed and sat up, pulling me into his side, “I promise I don’t just hug you to scent you, I hug you because you’re huggable and I quite like you, for your information. I do have some self-control, honestly.”

His proclamation was shot down by Liam screeching “He’s doing it again!” thus getting a clump of grass to the face. Harry gave me a sheepish grin and batted his eyelashes at me, immediately pulling the adorable card.

Sickening.

“Liam, while I’m thinking about it, why do you limp when you’re a wolf, but not when you’re a human?” I asked, gently pushing Harry away as he tried to forcibly melt our bodies into a single unit.

“When I was turned by Zayn, right afterward, I went out for a walk in the woods by my house. While I was out there, I came across this other wolf, at first I thought it was Harry. Then as he got closer, I noticed the smell of him wasn’t Harry’s, and he had the strangest white ear like it had been dipped in paint. I crouched down and wagged my tail, I figured we could play and I could have a new friend, but this wolf, it just… attacked. I ran, but he was bigger and faster and had me pinned down in seconds. I remember hearing the bone in my leg snap and the pain was unreal. It hurt so bad I shifted back, and my leg was still broken, I could see when the bone in my skin was about to stick out. I was crying, hard, I had to have been fourteen. The other wolf was still standing there, only now, he was cowering down, ears flat and he looked terrified. I was confused and still crying like a little baby when the wolf shifted as well, and to my surprise, it was-”

“Michael.” I breathed out, eyes wide listening to Liam’s story.

“Yep, my own brother, and I didn’t know he was a wolf. He didn’t know about me either. That’s why he panicked when I turned back. Until that day we were the best of friends, practically inseparable. When he asked what pack I was in, and I told him Harry’s, he shut me out. Told me that if I wasn’t in Luke’s pack, I couldn’t associate with him. Michael was a good kid, he was really kind of a nerd. He was an ambassador for the school and would give tours to new students. Luke transferred here from a school for the blind our seventh-grade year, Michael was assigned to be his buddy, and the rest is history. That day in the woods, Michael carried me home, told mom and dad I had fallen while climbing a tree, and never looked at me the same again. My leg healed fine as a human because of surgery and some metal screws, but when I shift, the screws move and dig into my muscle. That’s why I limp.”

“Oh Liam,” I breathed out, leaving Harry to wrap Liam in a huge hug, rubbing his back gently, “I’m so glad you told me. It explains a lot.”

“Thank you, Louis, it’s time you knew. Now please, let go of me so Harry will breathe normally again and stop letting off pheromones that would choke a skunk.”

I looked over to Harry, who was huffing and staring Liam and I down. I went back over to him, sitting back in my spot between his legs and looking up at him.

“Alright possessive shit-o-mine, question number three. Y'all keep mentioning it, what exactly is ‘mating?’” Harry perked up and happily answered, playing in my hair. “Mating for us is like marriage for humans, only we have a way lower divorce rate. When wolves mate, they mate for life. Your wolves can’t mate unless they are compatible with one another. The mating itself is pretty basic, by the time you get around to it, it’s just making it official with a mark. The actions leading up to it are what is really important.

There’s courting, which is like dating for humans. We give gifts, lavish each other with attention, and basically just show how strong and competent of a mate we’d be. If your desired mate accepts you, then you start the bonding process. Essentially engagement. You start wearing the other’s scent, subtle markings, etc. Then you start nesting, where you basically build a home together.

Not like actually build a home, but you create a space that’s yours. Your scents and belongings in a place where you can mate and live together. That’s a little outdated of a ritual though. For us modern wolves, that process is a little different. It’s less nesting and more getting a drawer. For example, Liam and Zayn each have possessions at the other’s home, so they are comfortable at either place despite not having a set residence. Once they grow up more and graduate and such, they will build their own nest. Then comes the fun part. Liam, if you would please,”

Liam beamed and turned around, pulling the edge of the collar of his shirt down some, exposing a pretty gnarly scar, crescent-shaped like...teeth marks.

“That’s a mating bite,” Harry explained as Liam turned back around. “It’s an external mark for an internal bond. It’s actually pretty cool because if you just bit me just to bite me, the mark would heal almost instantly. But if you deliver a mating bite, it becomes a scar that will last forever. Alphas and betas give them to their mates, and it locks them to one another, mentally, spiritually, and physically.”

Harry looked like he was in a trance as he spoke, staring at where his thumb was lightly tracing over my neck, my necklace wrapped in his fingers. “You gonna mate me one day Harry?” I asked softly, reaching up and placing my hand over his.

“God help whoever tries to stop me.” 


	53. Liam is a Soprano

The remainder of the school day was spent with question after question from myself, and the boys took it in stride, never complaining about the influx of interrogative statements.

I now know that Harry has an “Alpha” voice, which is like a compulsion thing he can whip out to get his people in line, the full moon is no joke and that the wolves actually go a little mad, and that for Christ's sake, stay away from any kind of werewolf fanfiction.

Finding out about the full moon thing was probably the most surprising thing to me. I figured it was just a stereotype that Hollywood had pushed. Apparently, the wolves have to shift, and their animal instincts are at the forefront of their minds, human nature pretty much is forgotten.

After Harry explained this as we sat in Latin, work completed and free time allotted, he randomly blurted out an apology for his full moon behavior.

I was honestly confused, and Harry was too embarrassed to elaborate, so Liam explained for me.

“Alright, do you remember the last full moon? You were in your room, and Harry walked out into the yard in wolf form?” I thought back to that night, how Harry was almost demonic looking in the pale glow. “Yeah, but Harry looked weird. Like he had just stuck his paw in a light socket and simultaneously contracted rabies.”

Harry gave an almost pained whine from where he was sitting next to me, face buried in his hands on the desk.

“That was because Harold here was in full Alpha mode. He slipped off from the rest of the pack while we were out running and snuck off to your house. He just wanted to go see his mate. He probably would have hurt somebody trying to get to you if I hadn’t noticed him sneaking off and stopped him.”

“Don’t talk about it, I was having a moment!” Harry groaned, thudding his forehead against the desk. “Awe, Hazza, I think it’s sweet. Wanting to eat my family not so much, but you had good intentions.” I tried my best to soothe him, running a hand through his hair.

He sniffled and leaned into my touch, giving a shit-eating grin to Liam.

Liam glared back and smirked, “While we’re taking the piss out of Harry-oh don’t you growl at me, you made me cry earlier, I’ve earned this- let's talk about when we were at the drop and Harry almost gave you pneumonia.”

“Yeah, Harry, let’s talk about that. How did you forget that I could get cold? Had the sniffles all night.” I said, coughing for emphasis.

“I’ve always been a wolf, we don’t get cold. I’ve got an internal temperature of 104 degrees, excuse me for being a walking space heater.” Harry mumbled to himself and crossed his arms, grumbling as he looked across the classroom, ignoring Liam and me.

“Harry,” I said, poking him in the arm. He ignored me, features passive. “Hazza.” He rolled his eyes and huffed. I leaned on him and nuzzled into his neck, nose grazing the shell of his ear. “Alpha,” I whispered into his ear, and that got his attention.

He rumbled deep in his chest and pulled me closer to him, sacrificing comfort as he contorted his body around the desks we were sat in. I looked up from my resting place against his chest and saw the very edge of an elongated tooth poking out from under his upper lip.

I reached up curiously and poked it, making him smile and bite my finger teasingly. The nip smarted and I jerked back my hand, immediately returning to poke it again. With a barely audible click, the fang was gone, replaced by a perfectly normal human incisor.

“Werewolf thing. They make an appearance occasionally. Best get used to them now.” He said simply, tightening the arm he had thrown across my chest.

“Are you two very well done with the indecency over there?” Liam asked hands over his eyes.   
“Oh shut up Liam, must I bring up the time you rode Zayn in the bath-” “SHUT UP HAROLD!”

Apparently, Liam’s voice could get higher in pitch. 


	54. Please Be Naked

Riding home with Ben and Jack was a lot less confrontational than I had anticipated. I guess they were saving it all up for when Mom got home tonight.

When school let out, I had to practically beg Harry to leave me at the door and let me go to my brothers alone. I knew that would just start a fight, Instead, Zayn walked me over, and even he got death glares from Ben and Jack.

Harry had told me that he would be at our tree when I got home and gave me specific instructions to pack a pair of pants. Apparently, when he shifted back, he was naked. I’m half tempted to “forget” the damn pants.

Ben and Jack both went straight to their room and locked the door when we got to the house, so I grabbed a pair of sweatpants (albeit begrudgingly) and set out for the woods.

I was at the tree for less than a minute before the bushes next to me shook and a tall, black wolf stepped through, feet thudding down and head raised high. You could almost taste the testosterone in the air. Bloody show-off.  
Harry almost pulled off looking suave until he took a miscalculating step and went down snout over tail in a magnificent tumble, letting out a harsh yelp and faceplanting, butt up in the air.   
I couldn’t help but crack up at the sight of him laying on his side, black fur turned brown from the dirt on it, pride wounded more than his nose.

He did not appreciate my mocking, and the back of my legs was swiftly knocked by his baseball bat of a tail, sending me sprawling forwards.

Instead of the hard ground, I landed on Harry; the soft “oof” he made drowned out by my terrified shriek. He had the audacity to bark and wag his tail, and I could see him wiggling his eyebrows even in wolf form.

Prick.

I stuck my tongue out at him and popped him between the ears, making them go flat.

In a flash he had my hand gently clasped in his jaws, needle-prick teeth encompassing the entire thing. I gasped from the sudden movement and he growled lightly then let me go, licking the hand in apology. He could bite my hand right the fuck off.

I scratched behind his ear and he thumped his leg, making me laugh. “Who’s a good boy, who’s a good boy?” I said, mocking him.

He looked absolutely unamused, ears flat in a deadpan look. He huffed and turned away from me, essentially pouting. The big baby.

“Harry Moose Styles, you are not a two year old. Face me like a man.” He stayed facing the other way and flicked his tail in my face, the black fur hitting me like a mop.

I grabbed the offending tail and gave it a good yank, making him yelp and spin around, pressing the appenage tight against himself.   
I was the picture of innocence, looking away while idly tapping my fingers against my thighs. He narrowed his eyes and rumbled deep in his chest, crouching down and lashing his tail from side to side.   
I know where this is going.   
“Oh, no you don’t, Styles. I will beat your ass with a newspaper so fast that y- HARRY!” I shrieked as he tackled me, bowling me over so that I was on my back and he stood over me, tongue lolling as he looked down at me.

Some of his slobber dripped onto my cheek and I pulled a face as I wiped it, grimacing up at Harry. “I hate you, you big, black, fuzzy oaf.”   
He just barked and crouched down so that his chin rested on his chest and I had to go cross-eyed to look at him. He whined and nudged his nose against my chin, licking my jaw and looking at me.

“Go for it fam. I’m yours to writhe all over.”

Harry barked, which may have deafened me in my right ear a bit, then flopped all of his weight onto me, and I can see heaven’s light shining.

Christ, he’s heavy.

I gave him a few moments more of excitedly rubbing his face all over me and grumbling happily before oxygen became a necessity, not a luxury, then he got shoved off. He sat up and sniffed me with a satisfied yip, tail going ninety miles a minute.

“Proud of yourself?” I asked as I sat up, dusting the debris and bracken from my arms and shoulders the best that I could.

Harry held his head high and grinned the best that a wolf could. He looked damn massive like this. Sitting on the ground next to him whilst he sat tall was akin to a hobbit and a giant.

He stood and circled me once, twice, thrice before sitting behind me and draping a paw over my shoulder and pulling, effectively pinning me to his chest. I could feel each time his chest rose and fell from breath, and I could hear the monotonous thub-thub of his heart.

Before I could fully appreciate my new favorite cushion, I felt the drag of Harry’s tongue across the side of my head.

I leaned away from his ministrations and wrinkled my nose, “Dude, gross.”

Harry pulled me back against him with his mammoth paw and growled sharply, immediately resuming my impromptu bath. I sighed but let him do his thing, scrunching my neck whenever he licked across a ticklish spot.

I awkwardly reached back and patted Harry on his shoulder, scratching lightly.

“You gonna shift and talk to me anytime soon?” I asked, leaning further back into his warmth.   
He gave one more firm stroke across the crown of my head and then moved his paw, allowing me to sit up straight. He stood up, and after affectionately nudging my cheek once more with his wet nose, picked up the dropped pants in his mouth, flicking me with his tail before walking behind the oak tree.

Less than thirty seconds later he walked back out, in human form with the sweatpants hung low on his hips. Can I get a hell yeah for grey sweatpants?

I whistled at him and he shook his hips, mimicking a poorly coordinated belly dancer.   
Now that we weren’t beside a freezing waterfall in the middle of the night, I got the opportunity to fully appreciate Harry’s torso.

Him wearing a shirt should be illegal. I’m gonna become a lawyer just so I can make that law.   
He had twin birds on his collarbones, a quite frankly ridiculous butterfly spanning his toned abdomen, and quite frankly delicious laurels framing his hips.

“You wanna take a picture?” Harry asked, plopping down next to me with a smirk, immediately pulling me close enough to steal his warmth. Which I obviously did.

“Maybe later. Say Fido, what’s up with the licking. I feel like I’ve been through the cleaners.”  
Now I know that when Harry blushes, it creeps all the way down to his chest and flushes it a lovely rosy color.

Harry pressed his face into the crook of my neck, and his voice came out muffled from his hiding spot, “It’s a, uh, wolf thing. We groom each other to show affection. Typically it’s done while in wolf form, but since you don’t have a Wolf....”

He trailed off at the end, and I could feel where his fingers were dancing through the short hairs on the back of my neck.

I tapped him on the cheek and he picked up his head, eyebrow raised. I kissed him square on the mouth, grinning afterward. “Go ahead and groom me to your wolf’s desire. But the first time you pull that shit as a human, I’ll rip it out your mouth, got it?”

Harry fucking beamed and pressed a hard kiss to my temple, chest rumbling with a purr. “Got it.” 


	55. Crunching Bones and Annoying Boners

We sat under that tree and talked for what felt like hours. Harry talked about pack dynamics and what it meant for him to be the Alpha, and I talked about what I ate for supper. We have clearly different opinions on what was important.

He told me that his tattoos had meaning, that they weren’t just pretty pictures he cut out of a magazine. The swallows were for the act of mating, for finding your one true love. The butterfly was for change and metamorphosis from man to beast. The laurels were for his connections to nature, and so much more for each of his endless tattoos.

He spoke so fondly of his pack, going on and on with anecdotes about members and happenings.   
He talked about how just a month ago he had taken in a new member named Violet who had been changed by a rogue wolf and needed a pack, and how she was the sweetest person ever. He said she baked cookies and sang songs with the children of the pack and was an all around great person.

“Harry?” I asked as I shredded a leaf apart, speaking into a comfortable silence that had fallen over us as the afternoon wore on.

“Yes, mea?”

“How, um, how do you get changed? Like into a werewolf?”

I felt Harry stiffen beside me, and he shifted so that he could look at me.

“You don’t wanna be a-do you?” He asked carefully, eyes wide.

“No, no, not right now at least. Maybe one day though. I’d love to share that with you. It’s just, you speak so highly of your pack, and I’d love to be a part of something as special as them. A big family. But, it’s fine, you don’t have to tell me about it. No big deal.”

I waved him off and went back to my leaf shredding, feeling stupid for even asking. It was probably some sacred wolf thing that humans weren't supposed to be privy to.

“It hurts like shit,” Harry said a few minutes later, shredding a leaf of his own.

“Feels a bit like fire in your veins, from what I’ve heard. When you’re bitten, it takes a few hours for the venom to spread throughout your body. It’s like an unscratchable itch, all over. Apparently, your senses are amplified by the thousands so that you feel every grain of dirt, hear the blood rushing through your own veins, and see the tiniest of details on everything. Your body feels like it’s going to rip to shreds, your bones break like a dropped glass, and your muscles shred like a piece of paper. Your skin splits apart and fur emerges, like razor blades breaking through. You feel like you’re choking to death, because your larynx and esophagus contort and shift so that you can’t speak, can’t breathe, only whine and pray for the shift to end. Your gums bleed when your fangs grow, and you can feel your nail beds tear when the claws come through. You fall to the ground, caught by four paws. Then, peace. Complete and utter serenity. You’ve become one with your wolf.”

Just hearing how the change went was nauseating. Experiencing it must be utter torture.

“I never went through that, though,” Harry continued, “I’m a pureblood. The shift came naturally to me, I was doing it in the womb. For anyone who is bitten, that’s what they go through. Liam’s first shift lasted around 5 minutes, then it was easy as cake. The hardest part is learning how to coordinate all four limbs to walk in synchronicity. Liam looked like a baby deer staggering around the front yard.”

Harry paused to laugh and I giggled as well, picturing Liam staggering around like a drunkard.   
Despite the pain of the shift as described, and the obvious lifestyle changes, I think I wanted to be a wolf one day. To be in tune with a whole other side of yourself, to see the world from a new perspective, to be one of the mightiest creatures in the world, a master of all you observe, it was definitely enticing.

“If you were to bite me one day,” I asked, leaning away from Harry and looking up to him, “where would you do it?”

Harry blinked at me in surprise, probably assuming his horror story had scared me off.

I cocked an eyebrow at him and tilted my head to the side, watching his eyes dart to the exposed skin there.

His eyes flashed and he licked his lips, shifting so that he was on all fours, crawling over me until I was just propped up on my elbows.

“Well for your information, where I bite you to change you will also be where I bite you to mate you one day, so I’ve got to make it good. I could go for the obvious place,”

He paused to run a hand through my hair, gently pulling it and tilting my head further over.

“Here, everyone would know what I had done. Could see that you were taken; that you were mine.” I ached to kiss him, but his lips were gone from in front of mine before I could make a move.

“I could bite you here,” he said, trailing a finger over my heart, flicking over my nipple and making me gasp. “Here, the venom would reach your heart almost instantly, and would brand your heart as mine.”

“Or perhaps I may bite you here.” He slunk further down, ghosting his hand down my stomach, across my hips, and finally wrapping it around my thigh, his nails digging into the tender flesh of my inner thigh.

I couldn’t hide the hitch in my breath, Harry smirking as he stared me down. “If I bit you here, you’d see me every time you undressed, couldn’t get off without seeing my claim, and every time you moved, the scar would tug and spark, making you think of me. I think I like this place very much.”

My breath was caught in my throat and my head felt cloudy, focused only on the hand wrapped around my thigh and the red eyes boring into mine. “I think I like this place very much as well.”

“I can tell,” Harry said, looking at the obvious bulge in my pants.

I blushed and went to cross my legs, but Harry got a devilish look in his eyes and tightened the grip he had on my leg, pinning my hips still with the other hand. He grinned at me, fangs peeking over his lip, and I could feel heat pooling in my stomach.

“Let’s have some fun, baby.”

 


	56. The Final Chapter

By the time Harry got done, it looked like I had been mauled by a wolf, literally and figuratively. I had crescent-shaped bite marks on my hips, thighs, and stomach, bruises where each of his teeth ground down, and little marks where his canines gently punctured the flesh. There were fingerprints on my hip bones, leaves in my hair, and a glaze over my eyes.

Two rather orgasms later, I was thoroughly ruined for the afternoon. Gasping for breath, my boxers pulled up, laying with my head on Harry’s chest, I was the happiest I had been in my entire life.

Harry’s trailing hand brushed a particularly punishing bite in my hip and I whined, pressing my face into his pec, “No more Haz, Imma die.” He laughed and I felt the hand move up and rest across my stomach, his fingers drumming out a beat there.

He turned his head and pressed his nose against my slightly sweaty hair, and I’m going to stop him right there.

“Put it back in your mouth or so help me god.” With a sigh, he meekly closed his mouth, dejectedly combing through the knots with his fingers instead. “Good boy.”

As we lay there, Harry’s chest began to rumble, the deep thrum echoing through his chest. I looked up and he had his eyes closed with the most stupidly satisfied look on his face- close to beaming.

I cocked an eyebrow and whispered “good boy” once more, and his smile could blind a man, a happy chirp leaving his mouth.

“Hey Air Bud,” I said, making him Frog his face and open one eye, the rumbling slowing down to a purr. “Don’t tell me you get off on being called a good boy.”

Harry frowned even deeper, then reached one of his oven-mitts-for-hands up and cupped my jaw, “Not as much as you do, my sweet boy.”

As I was fighting a furious blush and a cheesing grin, Harry broke his serious stare and grinned, squishing my cheeks like a guppy. “Nah, I don’t get off on it. I’m pretty sure it’s a natural canine reaction, like the belly rubs.”

“Dat makes shensh,” I forced out, as my cheeks were still being crushed. Harry snorted out a laugh and kissed my pursed lips, letting me go with a pat to my cheek. He stood up and hauled me up after, passing me my pants.

After I got dressed and semi-put back together, Harry took my hand and we started through the woods to my house, hands swinging as he whistled and I sang along. When we got to the woods at the edge of my yard, Harry swung me so that I was facing him and pulled me in, wrapping his arms around me tightly. He swayed us back and forth, chest churning out deep rumbles.

“You’re not fooling anyone, Fido. I know you’re scenting the shit out of me.”

“Shhhh, just accept it.” He held me a moment longer then slowly released me, giving my neck a sniff with a satisfied hum.

“Y’know, Harold, my family can’t smell any of the shit you just did. None of it. Your pheromones were expelled in vain.”

Harry frowned and crossed his arms, looking like a shirtless, absolutely shredded toddler, “it’s the thought that counts.” He said petulantly.

“Oh, Harry,” I crooned, reaching up on my tip-toes to kiss his nose, “you’re doing a good job. No werewolves, vampires, or irate family members will ever bother me again. Your scent is superior overall.”

Harry fucking BEAMED and hugged me again, no doubt scenting me even more. Fragile werewolf psyches and all.

“Calum can’t actually touch you, you know. He’s mated already, a nice girl from another pack. Luke doesn’t know, I only know because I caught him on a date a few towns over. He’s still debating on whether or not to leave or bring her. It screws him up inside a little. He takes some pleasure in fucking with me and what’s mine, it takes the edge off of the stress of leaving or staying.”

I patted Harry’s head and looked at him, fighting a grin. “I’m yours then, huh. Nice of you to consult with me first.”

Harry looked at me dead serious, eyebrows furrowed. “Of course you’re mine. You smell like me and everything. We’re as good as married.”

“Werewolf logic is pretty cut and dry, huh? I’ve been yours since that first chemistry class, huh?”

“No, you’ve been mine since that first day in the woods, when I was going to rip out your throat. I smelled you and knew that that was it for me. You looked so small, So innocent, but your eyes were so full of curiosity and they shine so brightly. You were all I’d ever need.”

I blushed and ducked my head, fighting a grin.

“Not so innocent anymore, though,” Harry said, pressing a searing kiss to my lips, hands immediately finishing their way to my still sensitive hips, “I made sure of that.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for an epilogue....


	57. Epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end. Cry with me.

I can’t believe it. I’m done with school forever. Hours ago I walked across the stage a final time and accepted my diploma, my mother beaming with pride from the front row as I graduated with the title of Louis Styles, RN. It took four years of hard schoolwork and long hours away from my family to accomplish, but I had made it.

As I hugged Harry in the courtyard of my University after getting my diploma, our shared desk in Chemistry class Junior year seemed so far away. Our late nights on the phone and laying side by side, noses brushing as we whispered to one another in the dark, sneaking out to see one another and getting caught, skipping class to kiss in the maintenance closet, cooking breakfast for a pack of starving boys and girls after a full moon, it all feels so far away. We are proper adults now, with houses and jobs and college degrees.

I'm at home now, the hype of the day wearing off and the house silent, Harry has gone on one of his border patrols. As Harry and I grew closer, I learned all there was to know about pack life. I knew that he had to meet with other pack leaders once a month, and that gave him a headache. He performed marriages, naming ceremonies for children, and funerals. It was a lot for a now 23-year-old to handle.

Harry had matured like a fine wine, jawline and cheeks chiseling and shoulders broadening, any baby fat replaced with sheer lean muscle. He still had his dimples, but a month ago he had come home, precious curls shorn off to almost the scalp, only a little left on the top to play with. He said it was getting too hot and too much to mess with. I mourned the loss of his hair like a fallen soldier. what am I supposed to tug on now?

A total of 10 minutes after our high school graduation, Harry had gotten onto one knee and asked me to marry him, officially. My mother passed out, Jack had the right mind to catch her. Ben had glared, but he got more into the wedding planning than I did. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Benn Tomlinson in football cleats sampling wedding cakes and picking out color schemes with me.

His entire college team came to the wedding, so the attendance was 50% werewolves eating their steaks just a little too rare, 40% my family warily staring down the teens in rented suits and converse devouring the cheese platter, and 10% hulking mammoths from the Colorado Buffaloes football team. It was an interesting night for sure.

The night before nursing school started, Harry and I unpacked the last box in our new home, right close to town, separated from Zayn and Liam through a path in the woods less than a mile from Zayn’s childhood home. It was an Alpha’s home, large in every way. It was a pain in my ass to clean, but every night I got to eat dinner with Harry and then lay in bed with him, in our own home, was worth it.

It took me less than five minutes to walk to Liam’s today, where he was waiting for me outside of his house, wearing nothing but sweatpants. He smiled as I walked up, pushing off of the wall he was leaning on and waving.

With a leap and a slight bark, Liam’s wolf was in front of me in all its 3 feet tall, chocolate brown dopiness.

  
He jumped around and nudged me, ready to play. He was the epitome of a pup. No matter how old we got, what we went through, he was always going to be Happy-Boy to me.

I laughed and took a deep breath, feeling the ground rest beneath my feet and my fur wreath around me, and everything became so much clearer.

I blinked my eyes open and looked over to Liam, who was chasing his tail and yipping excitedly. I shook out my silver fur harshly, fluffing out my tail and stretching. It felt so nice to be in Wolf after the festivities this weekend.

Cliche as it was, the night of our senior prom, where I had gotten Prom King and Harry was awarded Prom Queen, as he pitched a fit when they tried to give him a crown instead of a tiara, Harry laid me down in his bed at his house, in his room with pictures of us together lining the walls and posters of AC/DC on the ceiling, Harry turned me. He kissed me hard and slowly undressed me, leaving the golden and velvet crown on my head, straightening it with a smile. I made him take off the tiara.

Just like he promised me in the woods Junior year, Harry bit me on the inside of my thigh, shooting stars into my vision and making me cum the hardest I ever have, his hand working over my cock as his teeth sank into my leg, the thin and tender skin giving away to his sharp canines.

We held each other until dawn when the bite began to take place. Harry held my hand as I breathed through the pain, screaming as skin turned to fur and my hands and feet gave way to paws. He curled up against me in his wolf form as I pinned my ears flat, head pounding from the smells, sounds, and sights that were assaulting my senses. He pressed against me and held me upright as I learned to walk, and raced me as I learned to run. I feel everything he feels, every emotion and thought he has run through my mind as well. The turning bite was also our mating bite. Our souls are forever combined. His pain is my pain, my happiness is his happiness; we are wholly one another's.

Liam caught his tail and barked excitedly, letting it go and bouncing over to me. He rested his head on top of mine and licked over my ear, getting a sharp nip to his shoulder in return. He better be glad I couldn’t reach any higher. Apparently, my short size extended to my wolf. I looked more like a teacup husky than a wolf. 

  
I flicked his nose with my tail and bolted for the tree-line, leaving him in my dust. Blessed wolf speed.

  
I heard a short howl behind and I dug my feet in. I have a three-year reign in the game of tag and I’ll be damned if I lose.

  
I finally skidded to a stop on the ridge of rocks overlooking the river far below, chest heaving from running for so long. I don’t even know where Liam is, I lost him somewhere about a mile or so back. King of Tag Honor: Intact.

  
I flopped down and swept my tail through the leaves distractedly, waiting on Liam to pop out of the underbrush, preferably with leaves and twigs tangled in his fur.  
Suddenly, the hair on my neck stood on end and I hopped up, hackles raised and teeth bared. My ear pricked as a limb broke across the ridge, and I took up the most defensive stance I could muster.

  
There was nothing out of the ordinary on the other side, nothing moving that I could see at all. I huffed and relaxed my muscles, rolling my eyes at my skittish Wolf. It was probably a squirrel or something.

  
Honestly Louis, what did you think it would be, attack of the fluffy bunnies?”  
Then a stick cracked behind me.

  
I think I gave myself whiplash from turning around so quickly.  
There was a large wolf sitting behind me with his head held high, dwarfing even Liam in size. His solid black fur was shining in the bright light and his eyes were like emeralds.

I barked and trotted up to him happily, tail slapping at the ground. Harry grumbled deep in his chest and I whined in return, pushing up under his chin.  
I could feel the rumble in his throat as he lapped across the top of my head. He backed up and nosed at my jaw, getting me to bare my neck in return. I flopped down and rolled over onto my back, wagging my tail and yipping at Harry.

  
Once a sassy wolf, always a sassy wolf. Harry rolled his eyes and circled me once before laying down next to me, using a huge paw to drag me close.  
He licked across the crown of my head and started grooming me, one of the greatest signs of affection for our kind. As he groomed me, I couldn’t help but begin to purr and close my eyes, tail laying across his hip.

  
Our daydream was interrupted by the tell-tale signs of Liam approaching, all crunching brush and loud pants.  
Harry sighed and nuzzled my neck once more, conveying through our bond that he had to get back to patrolling. Even the boss man didn't get to slack off. And then, with a slight tug on my ear with his teeth, he climbed up, got a running start, and across the ridge he went. At least a twelve-foot leap.  
Isn’t he just dreamy?

  
I am so glad I gave the boy with the green eyes and black clothing a chance. If I had never gone for a walk in the woods that day, if I had never spoken to Harry at school, I would have never been where I am today.

  
I don’t know how I would have made it without him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. Some of you have been here since the beginning when I wrote like a preschooler. Then you stuck around for when I redid the entire fic. And then took it down again. But boyo's it is back for good. This is my gift to the world, interpret it as you wish. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. Let me know in the comments what you thought, please. I want to know if I made an impact on anyone in any way. Please. -Louise

**Author's Note:**

> So how was it? Comments give me life, I am a self-proclaimed attention whore.


End file.
